m 


PORTER 


COATES, 


THE  ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  SERIES. 


FRANK 


AT  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 


BY 

HARRY  CASTLEMON, 

AUTHOR  OF  "  THE  GUN-BOAT  SERIES,"  "  THE  GO-AHEAB 
SERIES,"  ETC. 


PHILADELPHIA : 
PORTER    &    COATES. 

CINCINNATI,  O. : 
R.  W.  CARROLL  &  CO. 


w^ 

FAMOUS  CASTLEMON  BOOKS. 

__ 

GUNBOAT  SERIES.      By  I!  \i:i:t   C  \MI  KMON.     Illustrated,     fi  \ 

li'niiu.      Cloth,  extra.  blaok  and  gold. 

I'i:\\K  THK  VIM-NG  NATURALIST.     FRANK  ON  A  <Ji  VHOAT.     FI:\\K 
IN  TIH:  \Vo,>i,s.     FRANK  BEFORK  VICKSBURC;.     FI:\SK  ..N  i  in    I,..\\i.u 
FRANK  ON  THK  I'RAIRIE. 


ROCKY    MOUNTAIN    SERIES.       By    HARRY    CASTLWKW. 

Illn-trated.    3  vols.    Itimo.    Cloth,  extra,  black  and  gold. 
l-'i:\NK    AMONG    THK    RANCHEROS. 

FRANK  AT  DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 
FRANK  IN  THE  MOUNTAINS. 

SPORTSMAN'S    CLUB    SERIES.      By   HARRY    CASTI.KMOX. 

lllustrateth;  9*vols.      MUM*  «C;k)t3i,  extra,  bhu-k  and  g..ld. 

THK  SroiiTSMAN's  CLUB 

THK  SrouTstMAN'g  Qj(|UB  AFLOAT. 

THK 


GO-AHEAD    SERIES.      By   HARRY    CASTLFMON.      Illustrated.      3 

vols.     IDino.     Cloth,  extra,  black  and  gold. 
TOM   NK\\IOMHK.     Go-AiiEAD.     No  Moss. 

FRANK  NELSON  SERIES.     By  HARRY  CASTLEMON.     Illustrated. 

:;  v«-ls.      ll'mio.    Cloth,  extra,  black  and  t,r"Id. 
SN.>\\I:I>  I*  p.     FRANK  IN  THE  FORECASTLE.     BOY  THAI 

BOY    TRAPPER   SERIES.      By    HARRY    CASTUMQH.     Illustrated. 

::  vols.      16mo.     Cloth,  extra,  black  and  gold. 
THK   BI-RIKD  TREASURE;  OR,  OLD  .I.U:HAN'S   II  VINT. 
THE  BOY  TRAPPER;  OR,  IIo\v   D\vi:   FII.I.KM  THK  UK; 
THK  MAM.  ('  \URIKR. 

BOUGHING   IT    SERIES.      By    HARRY    CASTLEMON.      Illustrated. 

It'.nio.      Cloth,  extra,  black  and  gold. 
IRQ!   IN    CAMP. 


in 


Entered  according  to  A«  t  of  Comrn  >s,  in  i   l.y 

K.  W.  r.\  1:1:01.1.  A  CO., 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.  FA«« 

All  about  Horses, 6 

CHAPTER  II. 
About  Bears, •••  .22 

CHAPTER  III. 
A  Strange  Story, 32 

CHAPTER  IV. 
"Old  Davy," 48 

CHAPTER  V. 
A  Running  Fight,  .       .     61 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Don  Carlos'  Rancho, 76 

CHAPTER  VII. 
A  Heavy  Reward, 96 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Archie  Learns  Something, 113 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Archie  and  Beppo, 127 

(Hi) 


IV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  X.  PAOI 

Archie  Makes  a  Bold  Dash, 144 

CHAPTER  XI. 
A  Companion  in  Trouble, 161 

CHAPTER  XLI. 
Frank's  Adventures, .178 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
An  Old  Acquaintance 197 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
The  Don  in  Trouble, •     '•'••    216 

CHAPTER  XV. 
The  Bridge  of  Clouds, .    232 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
A  Race  in  the  Dark,       . 249 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Conclusion, 916 


DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 


CHAPTER  I. 

ALL   ABOUT    HORSES. 

A  RCHIE  WINTERS  found  that  lie  had  been 
_  mistaken  in  the  opinions  he  had  formed 
concerning  life  in  California.  When  he  first 
arrived  at  his  uncle's  rancho,  he  had  declared 
that  the  fun  and  excitement  were  all  over,  and 
that  he  and  Frank  were  destined  to  drag  out  a 
weary,  monotonous  existence  until  the  time  came 
for  them  to  return  home.  But  Arthur  Vane, 
with  the  assistance  of  Pierre  Costello  and  his 
band,  had  made  things  exceedingly  lively  for 
him  and  Frank,  and  now  they  were  both  will 
ing  to  acknowledge  that  they  had  had  much 
more  than  they  wanted  of  perilous  adventure. 


TK-  tiin  hupg  heavily  on  theii  hands, 

•fur  tli  »h\  ays^omething  interesting  going 

em.  First;' Dick' 'Thomas  returned  from  San 
Francisco,  and  he  and  Johnny  Harris  became 
constant  visitors  at  Mr.  AVinters's  rancho.  3.' hen 
came  several  unsuccessful  hunts  after  a  grizzly 
bear,  which  persisted  in  breaking  into  the 
cow-pen  every  night,  and  finally  an  incident 
happened  that  brought  about  a  long  string  of 
adventures,  and  raised  Frank  and  Archie  higher 
than  ever  in  the  estimation  of  the  settlers.  On 
the  morning  on  which  we  introduce  them,  they, 
together  with  Johnny  and  Dick,  were  gathered 
in  a  room  in  Mr.  Winters's  rancho — the  same 
room  in  which  Frank  had  had  one  of  those 
memorable  encounters  with  the  highwayman — 
talking  the  matter  over. 

The  boys  were  in  a  state  of  siege.  Every 
opening,  except  the  port-holes,  through  which 
a  breath  of  air  might  find  its  way  in  to  them, 
was  dosed,  and  the  room  was  as  hot  as  an  oven. 
They  were  perspiring  like  butchers;  hut  not 
one  of  them  thought  of  throwing  «>|><  it  a  door 
or  \\imlo\v.  I'Yank  was  stretehnl  out  on  the 
bed,  drumming  on  his  guitar;  Archie  was  \\alk- 


ALL  ABOUT  HORSES.  7 

ing  restlessly  up  and  down  the  floor,  thrashing 
his  boots  with  his  riding  whip;  Dick  Thomas 
was  looking  up  at  the  pictures  on  the  walls; 
and  Johnny  Harris  was  standing  with  his  face 
close  to  one  of  the  port-holes,  fanning  himself 
vigorously  with  his  hat.  Silence  reigned  in 
the  room,  broken  only  by  the  crack  of  Archie's 
whip,  and  light  footsteps  outside  the  door,  with 
which  were  occasionally  mingled  low  angry 
growls,  and  the  rattling  of  a  chain.  £Tone  of 
the  boys  had  spoken  during  the  last  ten  min 
utes  ;  and  that,  to  those  who  knew  them,  would 
have  been  sufficient  evidence  that  they  were 
thinking  about  something  exciting. 

"  Frank,"  said  Archie,  at  last,  "  why  do  n't 
you  stop  that  noise  ?  I  do  n't  see  how  you  can 
lie  there  and  pound  on  that  thing.  One  would 
think  you  were  making  merry  over  our  misfor 
tune." 

Frank  very  good-naturedly  laid  down  the 
obnoxious  guitar,  and  placing  his  hands  under 
his  head,  looked  at  Archie  as  if  waiting  to  hear 
what  he  had  to  say  next. 

"I  would  do  something  desperate,  if  I  only 
Lad  half  a  chance,"  continued  the  latter,  shak- 


8 

ing  his  fist  in  the  air,  and  flourishing  his  whip 
about  so  recklessly  that  Dick  retreated  into  a 
corner,  out  of  his  reach.  "  If  I  had  those  vil 
lains  here  I'd— I'd"— 

"O,  take  it  easy,"  said  Frank.  "I  don't 
see  the  use  of  making  any  fuss  about  it,  for  the 
mischief  has  been  done,  and  we  can't  help  it." 

"Take  it  easy!"  repeated  Archie,  in  disgust, 
"how  can  I?  It  would  provoke  any  body  in 
tin-  world,  except  you,  and  you  never  get  pro 
voked  at  any  thing.  I  don't  believe  you  are 
oven  sorry." 

"  Yes,  I  arn.  I  feel  as  badly  about  it  as  you 
do.  I  would  not  have  lost  Roderick  for  live 
hundred  dollars.  He  carried  me  many  a  mile, 
and  I  owned  him  so  long  that  I  had  become 
irnatly  attached  to  him.  He  was  the  swiftest 
and  best  trained  horse  in  the  settlement." 

"  Ivxrept  mine/7  returned  Archie,  cjuirkly. 
"Would  your  horse  walk  on  his  hind  1<  L;-,  or 
piek  up  your  hat  or  whip  for  you?  Mine 
would;  and  if  lloderiek  was  not  once  badly 
beaten  by  him  in  a  fair  race,  no  horse  was  ever 
beaten  in  tin-  world." 

Frank    and    Aivlii«-;    as    we    kim\v,    had   boeii 


ALL  ABCUT  HOESES. 

rivals  from  their  earliest  boyhood,  and  now  they 
had  enthusiastic  opponents  in  Johnny  and  Dick, 
Each  one  insisted  that  he  owned  the  best  horse, 
the  best  dog,  and  the  best  gun ;  and  that  he 
could  beat  the  others  at  riding,  running,  jump 
ing,  wrestling,  and  throwing  the  lasso.  They 
all  made  loud  boasts,  claiming  superiority  in 
every  boyish  accomplishment,  but  that  was  done 
merely  for  sport ;  for  each  of  them  knew  that, 
in  some  things,  he  was  a  long  way  behind  the 
others.  The  honors  were  about  equally  divided, 
the  extra  ones  falling  to  the  lot  of  Frank  Nel 
son.  He  was  the  strongest  fellow,  the  swiftest 
runner,  the  best  shot  with  a  rifle  or  revolver, 
and  wonderfully  expert  in  wrestling.  Johnny 
Harris  had  once  ridden  a  wild  mustang,  which 
was  so  vicious  and  unruly  that  none  of  the 
other  boys  could  be  induced  to  mount  him,  and 
consequently  he  was  the  champion  horseman. 
Archie  was  the  best  jumper,  and,  until  within 
a  few  days,  had  owned  a  horse  that  was  equal 
to  any  trick  pony  the  boys  had  ever  seen  in  a 
circus.  Archie's  whole  soul  was  wrapped  up 
in  that  horse,  for  he  was  the  only  one  that  had 
ever  beaten  Roderick  in  a  fair  race.  Dick 


10  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

Thomas  was  the  .happy  possessor  of  a  pack  01 
splendid  hounds,  and  could  boast  that  he  never 
missed  his  mark  with  the  lasso.  He  had  Icon 
a  formidable  rival  for  Archie  in  jumping,  and 
for  Frank  in  shooting  and  running;  but  had, 
at  last,  been  compelled  to  give  up  the  contest, 
and  acknowledge  himself  beaten. 

Frank   and  Archie  were  in  great  trouble— 
they  had  lost  their  horses.      The  animals  had 
-••lie  the  way  a  good  many  other  chargers  had 
.-••no  during  the   last  three  weeks,   for  nearly 
every  farmer  in  that  neighborhood  had  to  mourn 
the  loss  of  some   favorite  nag,  which   had  dis 
appeared,  and  left  no  trace  behind.     Every  one 
said  that  there  was  an  organized  band  of  horse- 
thievos  around;  but  who  they  were,  or  what 
they  did  with  their  booty,  could  not  be  ascer 
tained.     Large  rewards  had  been  offered;    the 
ranches  had  been  patrolled  of  nights;    the  set 
tlers   had  turned   out  to  a   man,  and  searched 
every  \\nnk  and  corner  of  the  mountains  they 
mild  iret  at;  but,  in  spite  of  all  their  vi^lan 
valinl.lr  horses  were  s(.»l«-n  every  ni.Lilif,  and  no 
ira.-rs  could  I,,,  discovered  <>('  (linn  m-  ih<-  n,l,_ 
bcr*.     The  >rttl«  rs  -' '  in*  .1  to  have  given  up  all 


ALL  ABOUT  HORSES.  11 

hope-3  of  ever  bringing  the  guilty  parties  to 
justice;  for  now,  when  a  horse  was  missing, 
there  was  nothing  done,  and  but  little  said 
about  it.  There  was  no  blowing  of  horns,  and 
gathering  of  armed  men,  as  had  been  the  case 
a  few  days  before.  The  farmers  smiled,  said  that 
misery  loved  company,  and  seemed  to  think  no 
more  about  the  matter;  but  they  were  wide 
awake,  and  every  man  was  watching  his  neigh 
bor.  Mr.  Winters  had  been  a  heavy  loser,  and 
now  Frank  and  Archie  had  come  in  for  a  share 
of  the  trouble.  Roderick  and  King  James 
(that  was  the  name  of  the  horse  that  had  taken 
the  place  of  Sleepy  Sam  in  Archie's  affections) 
were  gone,  and  of  course  the  boys  were  highly 
indignant.  One  thing  that  made  Archie  so 
angry  was  the  fact  that  no  one,  except  Johnny 
and  Dick,  seemed  to  sympathize  with  him. 
Frank  played  lively  tunes  on  his  guitar,  and 
advised  him  to  "take  it  easy,"  while  Uncle 
James,  when  Archie  reported  his  loss  to  him, 
poked  him  in  the  ribs  with  his  finger,  and  said  : 
"  Aha !  now  you  can  have  the  pleasure  of  going 
afoot,  like  the  rest  of  us.'7 

There  was  no  danger  that  the  boys  would  be 


12 

obliged  to  go  afoot.  There  were  plenty  of  fine 
horses  on  the  ranch,  and  Dick  and  old  Bub, 
and  half  a  dozen  other  Rancheros,  were  ready 
and  willing  to  capture  and  break  any  nag  they 
might  select ;  but  was  there  a  Roderick  or  a 
King  James  among  all  these  horses  ?  The  lost 
steeds  were  regarded  by  their  young  owners  as 
perfect  specimens  of  their  species.  They  were 
so  intelligent  that  they  could  be  taught  any 
thing  that  horses  ever  learned;  so  swift  that 
nothing  in  the  settlement  could  keep  pace  with 
them  ;  so  restless  and  fiery  that  they  would 
never  stand  still  long  enough  for  their  masters 
in  l>e  fairly  seated  in  the  saddle;  and  yet  so 
docile  that  they  could  be  managed,  and  driven 
any  where,  without  a  bridle.  Were  there  any 
s  on  the  ranch o  that  possessed  all  these  good 
qualities?  The  boys  were  sure  there  were  not. 

AVe  must  stop  here  long  enough  to  tell  h«»\v 
A  rchie  came  by  his  horse,  and  why  he  gave  him 
ilia!  odd  name. 

W«-  have  spoken  of  Captain  Porter,  an  old 
fur-trader,  who  owned  a  ram-ho  a  few  miles  «li  — 
taut  from  tlie  one  belong  n^r  to  Mr.  Winters. 
He  \\;i-  a  lle.h\,  jolly  old  iM'Mtlenian,  who  al 


ALL  ABOUT  HORSES.  13 

ways  tools  a  great  deal  of  interest  in  every  thing 
the  boys  did,  and  listened  to  the  stories  of  their 
adventures  with  as  much  good  nature  as  he 
exhibited  in  relating  his  own.  Having  lived 
on  the  frontier  from  his  earliest  boyhood,  he 
had  seen  a  world  of  excitement  and  adventure ; 
and  the  easy  way  he  had  of  recounting  his  ex 
ploits  over  his  after-dinner  pipe,  proved  an 
attraction  too  strong  to  be  resisted  by  the  boys, 
who  scarcely  allowed  a  day  to  pass  without  a 
visit  to  his  rancho.  They  had  a  happy  faculty 
of  making  friends  wherever  they  went;  and  it 
was  not  long  before  the  old  fur-trader  began  to 
show  that  they  held  a  prominent  place  in  his 
estimation.  He  presented  Frank  with  Mar- 
mion,  the  dog  which  had  done  him  such  good 
service  in  his  encounters  with  Pierre  Costello, 
and  shortly  afterward  he  treated  Archie  in  a 
still  more  handsome  manner. 

One  day  the  cousins  rode  over  to  dine  with 
the  captain,  and  while  on  the  way,  Archie,  who 
could  never  be  persuaded  to  acknowledge  that 
Roderick  was  a  swifter  horse  than  Sleepy 
Sam,  challenged  Frank  to  a  trial  of  speed.  The 
race  came  off,  and  Archie,  as  usual,  was  badly 


14  PON  CARLOS'  RAXOIIO. 

beaten.     When  Frank  dismounted  at  the  cap- 

tain's  door,  his  cousin  was  not  in  sight. 

"Where's  the  little  one?"  asked  the  fur- 
trader,  who  was  seated  on  the  porch,  enjoying 
IMS  long  Indian  pipe. 

"  lie  is  coming/'  replied  Frank.  "  Whenever 
he  is  on  horseback  he  can't  be  easy  unless  he 
is  racing  with  somebody,"  he  added,  to  explain 
ho\v  he  came  to  leave  him  so  far  behind. 

"And  do  you  always  beat  him?" 

"  Always.  He  grumbles  and  scolds  about  it 
at  a  great  rate,  but  it  does  n't  seem  to  help  the 
matter  any.  He  has  tried  every  horse  on  nn- 
clc's  rancho,  too;  but  has  never  been  able  to 
find  one  that  can  beat  Roderick." 

The  captain  settled  back  in  his  chair,  and 
looked  at  the  mustang  as  he  was  being  led 
away  by  one  of  the  Rancheros;  and,  when 
Archie  came  up,  trying  to  smile,  but  looking 
rather  crestfallen  over  his  defeat,  he  winked  at 
him,  and  nodded  his  head  in  a  very  significant 
manner.  Neither  of  the  boys  knew  what  he 
meant ;  but  Archie  found  out  when  dinner  was 
<>vcr,  for  then  th«>  trader  drew  him  aside,  and 
h.  Id  a  whimpered  consultation  with  him.  Frank 


ALL  ABOUT  HORSES.  15 

regarded  them  both  with  suspicion,  and  when 
Archie  looked  at  him,  and  wrinkled  up  his 
nose,  and  made  other  mysterious  signs,  he  be 
came  satisfied  that  they  were  getting  up  some 
sort  of  a  conspiracy.  Nothing  was  said  or 
done,  however,  that  threw  any  light  on  the 
matter  until  they  were  ready  to  start  for  home ; 
and  then,  when  their  horses  were  brought  out, 
Frank  saw  that  Sleepy  Sam  was  not  there.  In 
his  place  was  a  small,  clean-limbed  animal,  as 
black  as  midnight,  which  was  pawing  the 
ground,  and  jumping  about  as  if  impatient  to 
be  off.  While  Frank  stood  looking  at  him,  and 
admiring  his  fine  points,  Archie  seized  the  bri 
dle,  and  sprang  into  the  saddle. 

"  Hallo  ! "  exclaimed  his  cousin,  who  now 
thought  he  understood  the  meaning  of  the  mys 
terious  winks  and  whisperings,  "  who  owns 
that  horse  ?  " 

"He  belongs  to  the  subscriber,"  replied  Ar 
chie,  highly  elated. 

"  He  is  a  fine-looking  animal,  but  I  do  n't 
know  what  you  are  going  to  do  with  him." 

"  Do  n't  you  ?  Well,  jump  into  your  saddle 
and  I  '11  show  you.  He  was  presented  to  me 


16  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

by  Captain  Porter,  on  condition  that  I  make 
him  beat  that  ugly-looking  mustang  of  yours; 
and  I  am  going  to  do  it." 

"It  is  n't  my  style  to  allow  a  challenge  like 
that  to  pass  unnoticed,"  said  Frank,  as  lie 
mounted  Roderick.  "  Hold  on  !  Do  n't  be  in 
such  a  hurry.  Come  back  here,  and  give  me  a 
fair  chance." 

The  boys  had  a  good  deal  of  trouble  in  get 
ting  started,  for  Archie  showed  a  disposition  to 
"jockey."  His  expectations  had  been  raised 
to  the  highest  pitch  by  the  captain's  glowing 
description  of  the  black's  wonderful  speed,  but 
he  knew  what  Roderick  could  do,  and  he  did 
not  intend  to  allow  his  cousin  to  get  the  start 
of  him  by  so  much  as  an  inch.  In  order  to 
prevent  that,  he  managed  to  keep  a  little  in 
advance  of  Frank.  But  at  last,  after  several 
false  starts,  they  got  off  together,  and  the  trader 
witnessed  a  race  that  was  worth  gcing  mile* 
to  see.  ITc  entered  heartily  into  the  sport, 
clapping  his  hands,  and  shouting  and  laughing 
at  the  top  of  his  voice;  and  when  the  rival* 
had  passed  out  of  sight  of  the  rancho,  he  re 
turned  to  his  seat,  his  face  all  wrinkled  up  with 


ALL  ABOUT  HORSES.  17 

smiles,  and  his  fat  sides  shaking  with  suppressed 
mirth. 

Archie  had  not  overrated  the  powers  of  his 
horse.  He  took  the  lead  at  the  start,  and,  what 
was  more,  increased  it  at  every  jump.  For  half 
a  mile  he  went  at  an  astonishing  rate,  carrying 
his  rider  faster  than  he  had  ever  traveled  before 
on  horseback ;  but  then  the  furious  pace  began 
to  tell  on  him,  and  the  mustang,  which  was 
good  for  a  three-mile  race  at  any  time,  gained 
rapidly.  Archie,  who  had  kept  one  eye  over 
his  shoulder  all  the  while,  noticed  this,  and 
knowing  that  Roderick's  long  wind  would  bring 
him  out  winner,  if  the  race  continued  much 
farther,  pulled  up  his  horse  and  stopped. 

"Now  see  here/7  exclaimed  Frank,  "this  is 
not  fair." 

"  What  is  n't  ?  "  asked  his  cousin,  innocently. 

"  Why,  to  give  up  the  race  when  I  begin  to 
gain  on  you.  Come  on;  this  question  isn't 
decided  yet." 

"I  think  it  is,"  replied  Archie.  "I  am  en 
tirely  satisfied.  Did  n't  I  keep  ahead  of  you 
for  half  a  mile?" 

"  Yes,  but  I  want  to  explain." 
2 


18  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

"A  fellow  who  is  beaten  alwa/s  wants  to 
make  some  excuses  or  explanations.  I  have 
l)ii: i ton  you  fairly.  I  own  the  swiftest  horse  in 
the  settlement,  thanks  to  Captain  Porter,  and 
I  have  just  thought  of  an  appropriate  name 
for  him.  The  genuine  Roderick,  the  rebel  your 
horse  is  named  after,  had  things  all  his  own 
way  for  a  while,  but  met  his  equal,  at  last,  in 
King  James,  who  whipped  him  in  a  fair  fight. 
Your  Roderick  has  found  his  match  now,  and 
I  don't  know  any  better  name  for  the  gallant 
little  nag  that  has  beaten  him,  than  King 
James.  That  is  what  I  shall  call  him." 

Frank  had  boasted  loudly  of  the  mustang's 
victories  over  Sleepy  Sam,  and  now  Archie  paid 
him  back  in  his  own  coin.  It  was  of  no  use 
for  him  to  say  that  he  would  not  acknowledge 
himself  beaten — that  Roderick  was  a  "lonir- 
winded"  horse,  and  that  in  a  race  of  three  mi  Irs 
hr  would  leave  the  black  one- third  of  tho  dis 
tance  behind — for  Archie  would  not  listen  ;  nor 
could  he  be  induced  to  consent  to  another  trial 
of  speed.  He  was  very  proud  of  his  victory, 
and  loved  every  glossy  hair  of  the  little  horse 
which  had  vanquished  the  hitherto  invincible 


ALL  ABOUT  HORSES.  19 

Roderick.  But  now  he  was  gone.  He  was  in 
the  hands  of  some  unknown  thieves,  who  had 
entered  the  stable  during  the  night,  and  ma  le 
off  with  him  and  the  mustang.  The  robbers 
must  have  known  something  about  the  merits 
of  the  two  horses,  for  there  were  several  other 
fine  animals  in  the  stable,  but  they  were  the 
only  ones  taken.  The  loss  fell  heavily  on  the 
boys,  for  they  had  expected  to  ride  those  horses 
to  the  head-waters  of  the  Missouri  during  the 
coming  autumn.  Captain  Porter  was  getting 
ready  to  start  northward,  on  one  of  his  annual 
trading  expeditions,  and  Frank  and  Archie,  and 
the  two  trappers,  were  to  accompany  him.  It 
was  the  captain's  intention  to  spend  a  few  weeks 
in  trapping  on  the  Missouri  and  its  tributary 
streams,  and,  when  cold  weather  came,  to  go 
into  winter-quarters  in  the  mountains. 

The  cousins  had  nearly  gone  wild  with  de 
light  when  Uncle  James  decided  that  they  might 
join  the  expedition,  and  had  looked  forward 
with  impatience  to  the  day  set  for  the  start. 
What  splendid  sport  they  would  enjoy  !  What 
multitudes  of  beavers  and  otters  they  would 
trap ;  what  havoc  they  would  make  among  the 


20  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

buffaloes  and  antelopes ;  and  what  fine  oppor 
tunities  they  would  have  to  listen  to  the  trap 
pers'  stories,  when  they  were  snug  in  their 
warm  cabin  in  the  mountains,  with  a  fire  blaz 
ing  cheerfully  on  the  hearth,  while  the  fierce 
winter  was  piling  up  the  snow-drifts  without ! 
Frank  and  Archie  had  often  talked  of  these 
things;  but  now  the  journey  across  the  plains, 
and  the  excitements  attending  a  winter's  sojourn 
in  the  mountains,  had  lost  all  charms  for  them. 
Indeed,  during  the  last  week,  Archie  had  re 
peatedly  declared  that  he  would  not  stir  a  step. 
If  he  could  not  ride  King  James  on  the  expe 
dition  he  would  not  go  :  he  would  stay  at  home. 
"  I  can't  see  why  the  farmers  do  n't  wake  up 
and  do  something,"  said  Archie,  who  was  so 
deeply  engrossed  with  his  troubles  that  he  did 
not  notice  that  he  was  flourishing  his  whip  in 
unpleasant  proximity  to  his  cousin's  ears.  "  If 
they  are  willing  to  let  their  horses  go  without 
making  any  attempt  to  recover  them,  I  am  n«»t. 
The  thieves  are  hidden  somewhere  in  tho 
mountains — I  am  sure  of  that — and  if  I  wcie 
a  nuiii  I  would  not  sleep  soundly  until  I  had 
found  them." 


ALL  ABOUT  HOUSES.  21 

"  It  is  n't  often  that  I  wish  any  body  harm,'; 
said  Frank,  "but  I  hope  Roderick  will  throw 
the  man  who  stole  him,  head  over  heels,  the 
first  time  he  tries  to  mount  him.'3 

"  Look  out,  fellows  ! "  exclaimed  Johnny, 
suddenly. 

A  heavy  tramping  was  heard  in  the  hall, 
which  grew  louder  as  the  footsteps  approached 
the  door.  The  sound  had  a  strange  effect  upon 
the  boys,  for  they  all  uttered  exclamations,  and 
began  running  about  the  room.  Frank  sprang 
up  and  perched  himself  upon  the  head-board 
of  the  bed;  Dick  seized  a  chair,  and  thrust  it 
out  in  front  of  him,  as  if  waiting  to  receive 
the  attack  of  some  enemy  ;  while  Johnny  ran 
to  one  of  the  windows,  and  endeavored  to  open 
the  shutters.  But  the  heavy  bar,  with  which 
they  were  fastened,  fitted  tightly  in  its  place, 
and  seeing  that  the  door  of  the  wardrobe  was 
ajar,  he  squeezed  through  it,  and  shut  himself 
in.  Archie  was  the  only  one  who  stood  his 
ground. 


22  DON  CARLOS*  RANOHO. 


CHAPTER   II. 

ABOUT  BEARS. 

A  RCHIE'S  actions  indicated  that  he  had 
Q  made  up  his  mind  to  fight  something.  He 
threw  off  his  hat,  pushed  back  his  sleeves,  and 
winding  the  lash  of  his  whip  around  his  hand, 
raised  the  butt,  in  readiness  to  strike. 

"If  you  do  n't  want  a  headache  for  the  rest 
of  the  day,  you  had  better  look  out  for  your 
self,"  exclaimed  Frank.  "  You  made  him  very 
angry." 

"Come  in  here!"  cried  Johnny,  from  the 
wardrobe.  "  There  's  room  enough  for  another, 
with  tight  squeezing." 

"  I  sha'n't  run  a  step,"  replied  Archie.  "  I 
am  in  no  humor  for  nonsense  this  morning,  and 
if  Phil  comes  near  me  he  will  wish  he  had  n't." 

The  door  opened  at  this  moment,  and  in  came 
Mr;  Winters,  Mr.  Harris,  and  Mr.  Thomas,  all 


ABOUT  BEAKS.  23 

booted  and  spurred,  and  dusty  with  fast  riding. 
The  last  named  gentleman  entered  the  room  in 
a  very  undignified  manner.  The  instant  the 
door  was  opened,  a  half-grown  bear  slipped  in 
between  his  feet,  knocking  them  out  from  under 
him,  and  causing  him  to  sit  down  on  the  ani 
mal's  back  very  suddenly.  To  save  himself 
from  falling  to  the  floor,  Mr.  Thomas  seized 
the  bear's  long  hair  with  both  hands,  and  was 
brought  into  the  room  in  triumph. 

This  bear  was  the  Phil  of  which  Archie  had 
spoken,  and  the  enemy  that  had  been  keeping 
him  and  his  companions  in  a  state  of  siege  dur 
ing  the  last  half  hour.  Archie  had  done  some 
thing  Phil  did  not  like;  and  he  had  loitered 
about  in  the  hall,  awaiting  an  opportunity  to  be 
revenged.  Now  that  he  had  got  into  the  room, 
he  was  fierce  for  a  fight ;  and  the  boys,  who 
had  measured  strength  with  him  ofte-n  enough 
to  know  that  he  was  a  very  unpleasant  fellow 
to  have  about  when  he  was  angry,  thought  it 
best  to  keep  out  of  his  way — all  except  Archie, 
who  was  in  very  bad  humor,  and  would  have 
held  his  ground  against  a  dozen  Phils.  The 
bear,  accepting  his  determined  manner  and 


24  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

threatening  attitude  as  a  challenge  to  combat, 
rushed  straight  at  him,  and  in  a  moment  more 
would  have  held  him  in  a  very  loving  embrace, 
had  not  Dick  seized  the  chain  that  was  fastened 
to  Phil's  collar,  and  brought  him  to  a  stand 
still. 

"  Put  the  rascal  out  of  doors/'  said  Mr. 
Winters.  "  The  first  thing  you  know,  he  will 
hurt  some  of  you  boys." 

But  Phil  did  not  give  any  one  a  chance  to 
put  him  out.  lie  raised  himself  on  his  hind 
legs,  tumbling  off  Mr.  Thomas,  who  measured 
his  length  on  the  floor,  and  disregarding  the 
blows  which  Archie  showered  upon  him  with 
his  whip,  sprang  upon  him  and  threw  him 
down. 

"Pull  him  off,  fellows,"  shouted  Archie, 
who  knew  that  the  punishment  was  coming 
now. 

Frank  jumped  down  from  the  head-board, 
Johnny  came  out  of  the  closet,  and  both  ran 
t'  .-i-sist  Dick,  who  still  clung  manfully  to  the 
chain;  but  before  they  could  reach  him,  Phil 
fu:m'  Archie  a  ringing  slap  on  each  MoV  of  his 
head,  and  made  good  his  retreat  from  the 


ABOUT  BEARS.  25 

room.  The  next  that  was  seen  of  him,  he  was 
out  in  the  court  trying  to  start  a  fight  with 
Mann  ion. 

Phil  Avas  a  rough  play-fellow,  but  lie  was 
full  of  his  tricks,  always  ready  for  a  fight  or  a 
frolic,  and  he  held  a  prominent  place  in  the 
aifections  of  the  boys,  who  looked  upon  him  as 
a  great  institution ;  but  by  every  one  else  on 
the  rancho  he  was  regarded  as  an  unmitigated 
nuisance.  One  great  fault  with  Phil  was,  that 
he  was  too  much  like  some  young  people.  He 
always  wanted  his  own  way  in  every  thing,  and 
if  he  could  not  have  it,  he  would  grumble  and 
go  into  the  sulks.  He  would  wander  off  by 
himself  and  pout  for  hours  together,  like  a 
foolish  boy  who  had  been  denied  something  his 
mother  thought  he  ought  not  to  have,  sticking 
out  his  lips  after  the  most  approved  fashion, 
and  growling  and  scolding  to  himself  at  a  won 
derful  rate.  On  these  occasions  it  was  not  safe 
to  venture  near  him. 

Phil  was  an  expert  wrestler  and  boxer,  and 
as  long  as  he  could  get  the  better  of  his  antag 
onist  he  would  keep  in  excellent  humor.  He 
would  not  growl  or  scratch  him  with  his  claws, 


26  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

and  would  always  wait  till  he  got  a  fair  hold 
before  he  made  any  attempt  to  throw  him  down. 
But  when  he  met  his  match,  as  he  always  did 
whenever  he  interfered  with  Frank,  there  would 
be  trouble  directly.  When  Phil  found  that  ho 
could  not  throw  him,  he  would  growl  and  get 
mad ;  and  then  there  was  always  a  fight  or  a 
foot-race.  The  boys  generally  thought  it  best 
to  run  when  he  was  thoroughly  aroused,  for  he 
was  considerably  larger  than  a  Newfoundland 
dog,  his  teeth  and  claws  were  sharp,  his  paws 
heavy,  and  he  used  them  in  good  earnest. 

Phil  was  as  treacherous  as  an  Indian.  AVhen- 
ever  a  stranger  visited  the  rancho,  he  would  run 
to  meet  him,  rub  himself  against  his  legs,  turn 
Summersaults  for  his  amusement,  and  try,  by 
every  means  in  his  power,  to  show  that  he  was 
glad  to  see  him  ;  and  all  this  while  he  would 
be  watching  for  an  opportunity  to  play  a  trick 
.ipon  him.  He  would  sneak  around  behind 
him,  and  if  the  visitor  did  not  keep  his  eyes 
open,  the  first  thing  he  knew  his  heels  would 
fly  up,  and  he  would  sit  down  upon  the  ground 
in  a  great  hurry. 

Another   bad   trait  in  Phil's  character  was, 


ABOUT  BEAES.  27 

that  he  never  forgot  an  injury.  He  always 
avenged  a  wrong  done  him,  and  if  he  could 
not  get  at  the  guilty  party,  he  would  take  sat 
isfaction  on  some  one  else.  Many  a  time,  when 
Frank  turned  him  loose  in  the  morning,  was 
he  obliged  to  stand  punishment  for  something 
Archie  had  done  to  him  the  night  before.  Phil, 
catching  him  off  his  guard,  would  trip  him  up, 
box  his  ears,  and  run  off  to  escape  the  conse 
quences  ;  and  the  next  time  Frank  met  him  he 
would  be  as  friendly  as  ever,  unless  some  one 
had  been  teasing  him  in  the  meantime.  He 
seemed  to  cherish  unbounded  affection  for 
Frank  (that  is,  when  he  was  in  good  humor), 
but  he  disliked  Archie  as  much  as  Marmion 
did ;  and  he  had  good  cause  to  be  angry  at 
him  on  this  particular  morning.  Archie  had 
been  unreasonably  cross  and  ugly  ever  since  his 
horse  was  stolen ;  and  when  the  bear  came  up 
and  greeted  him  in  a  friendly  manner,  by  put 
ting  his  paw  on  his  shoulder,  Archie,  by  taking 
some  unfair  advantage  of  him,  succeeded  in 
throwing  him  down,  and  cramming  a  handful  of 
grass  into  his  mouth;  and  that  was  an  indignity 
that  Phil  would  not  submit  to.  He  flew  into  a 


28  DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO 

terrible  rage,  and  the  boys,  knowing  tb.it  some 
thing  unpleasant  would  happen  if  Phil  suc 
ceeded  in  getting  his  paws  on  any  of  them,  ran 
into  their  room,  and  fastened  all  the  doors  and 
windows.  The  bear  followed,  and  after  trying 
in  vain  to  effect  an  entrance  through  one  of  the 
port-holes,  took  his  stand  in  the  hall,  and  wait 
ed  for  them  to  come  out.  When  Mr.  Winters 
and  his  companions  entered  the  room,  he  went 
in  with  them,  and  squared  accounts  with  Ar 
chie,  by  boxing  his  ears  so  soundly  that  he  had 
a  headache  all  the  rest  of  the  day. 

Uncle  James  and  Mr.  Harris  laughed  at  Mr. 
Thomas,  and  the  boys  smiled  behind  their  hand 
kerchiefs.  Mr.  Thomas  made  some  very  un 
complimentary  remarks  about  bears  in  general, 
and  Phil  in  particular,  and  helping  himself  to 
a  chair,  resumed  the  conversation  which  this 
little  incident  had  interrupted. 

"  It  will  be  of  no  use,  Mr.  Winters,"  said  he, 
f*  for  it  has  been  tried  already.  lie  has  been 
chased  with  dogs,  caught  in  traps,  and  shot  at 
numberless  times;  but  he  is  to-day  as  lively 
ami  full  of  mischief  as  he  was  a  year  ago.  IIo 
is  bound  to  die  a  natural  death." 


ABOUT  BEARS.  29 

Mr.  Thomas  was  speaking  of  the  bear  which 
had  so  often  robbed  Uncle  James's  cow-pen,  and 
after  the  boys  had  listened  for  a  few  minutes 
to  the  conversation  that  folloAved,  they  learned 
that  this  pest  had  visited  the  rancho  again  dur 
ing  the  previous  night,  and  walked  off  with  a 
fine  calf,  for  which  Mr.  Winters  had  refused  a 
hundred  dollars  a  few  days  before.  More  than 
that,  he  had  got  into  a  trap  which  had  been 
made  especially  for  him,  but  had  succeeded  in 
working  his  way  out.  This  same  trap  had 
caught  and  held  two  good-sized  bears,  which 
had  tried  their  best  to  escape,  but  it  was  not 
strong  enough  to  confine  him.  He  had  tum 
bled  the  logs  about  in  every  direction,  and  made 
off  with  the  bait  with  which  the  trap  \vas  set. 

This  bear  was  a  well-known  character  in  that 
section  of  the  country — as  well  known  as  Mr. 
Winters  himself.  He  was  called  "  Old  Davy  ; " 
and  this  name  had  been  given  to  him  to  dis 
tinguish  him  from  a  few  other  old  [settlers  of 
the  same  species ;  but  these  had  been  killed  off, 
one  after  another,  and  now  Old  Davy  was  left 
alone.  Those  who  had  seen  him,  described  him 
as  a  monster  animal,  fully  as  large  as  two  ordi- 


30  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

nary  bears.  He  could  be  recognized  by  a  large 
bald  spot  on  his  forehead,  which  was,  doubtless, 
the  scar  of  a  wound  received  during  some  of 
his  numerous  battles,  and  his  track  could  be 
distinguished  from  those  of  other  bears  by  the 
peculiar  shape  of  the  print  left  by  one  of  his 
hind  feet.  A  portion  of  the  foot  had  either 
been  shot  away,  or  lost  during  a  conflict  with 
dogs,  and  the  track  made  by  this  wounded 
member,  showed  only  the  claws  and  the  ball  of 
the  foot.  But  this  did  not  interfere  with  Old 
Davy's  traveling,  or  his  fighting,  either.  He 
could  wander  over  a  good  portion  of  the  county 
in  a  night,  and  had,  more  than  once,  demon 
strated  his  ability  to  whip  all  the  dogs  that 
could  get  around  him.  Between  him  and  the 
horse- thieves,  the  farmers  had  lost  many  9 
dollar. 

When  Old  Davy  and  his  exploits  had  been 
thoroughly  discussed,  Mr.  Winters  told  his 
nephews  why  he  had  come  in  there.  He  was 
on  the  point  of  starting  for  San  Diego,  to  be 
gone  three  or  four  days;  and  he  wranted  the 
boys  to  manage  affairs  during  his  absence. 
"  There  is  not  much  to  be  done,"  said  he,  with 


ABOUT  BEARS.  31 

a  laugh,  "but  if  you  can  manage  to  shoot  Old 
Davy  and  catch  those  horse-thieves  while  I 
am  gone,  I  should  be  delighted." 

The  boys  told  themselves  that  they  had  not 
the  slightest  intention  of  going  within  a  mile 
of  Old  Davy.  If  men  like  Dick  Lewis  and 
Bob  Kelly,  who  had  hunted  grizzly  bears  all 
their  lives,  could  not  kill  him,  they  certainly 
had  no  business  with  him.  And  as  for  the 
horse-thieves,  they  were,  doubtless,  a  band  of 
desperadoes,  who  used  their  revolvers  or  bowie- 
knives  upon  any  one  who  came  in  their  way, 
and  the  boys  were  quite  sure  that  they  would 
let  them  alone  also.  But,  after  all,  they  had  a 
good  deal  to  do  with  the  horse-thieves,  and  with 
Old  Davy  also.  Some  exciting  events  hap 
pened  in  the  settlement  during  the  next  few 
hours,  and  when  Uncle  James  returned  from 
San  Diego,  he  was  more  astonished  than  he  was 
when  he  listened  to  Frank's  story  of  his  first 
encounter  with  Pierre  Costello. 


32  DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 


CHAPTER  III. 

.  A  STRANGE  STORY. 

"  \[OW,"  said  Archie,  when  he  had  seen  Un 
cle  James  ride  off  toward  San  Diego, 
"  what 's  to  be  done?  It 's  dreadful  slow  hang 
ing  around  the  house  all  the  while,  and  I  pro 
pose  that  we  visit  that  bear  trap.  We  might 
repair  it,  you  know,  and  perhaps  we  can  make 
it  strong  enough  to  hold  Old  Davy  the  next 
time  he  gets  into  it." 

As  no  objections  were  raised  to  this  proposi 
tion,  the  boys  strolled  slowly  toward  the  stable, 
where  Mr.  Winters  now  kept  all  his  fine  rid 
ing  stock,  it  being  unsafe  to  allow  the  animals 
to  run  at  large.  There  was  no  danger  that  the 
robbers  would  get  any  more  horses  out  of  that 
stable,  for  Dick  Lewis  and  old  Bob  Kelly  had 
taken  up  their  quarters  there.  Archie  thought 
it  would  have  been  a  good  thing  for  him  and 


A  STRANGE  STORY.  33 

Frank,  if  this  precaution  had  been  adopted  a 
few  days  before. 

The  stable  was  full  of  horses,  but  Frank  and 
Archie  could  not  find  any  to  suit  them.  While 
Johnny  and  Dick  were  saddling  their  nags, 
the  cousins,  with  their  bridles  in  their  hands, 
walked  slowly  up  and  down  the  floor,  critically 
examining  the  twenty  sleek,  well-kept  animals 
which  were  standing  quietly  in  their  respective 
stalls;  but  they  measured  every  thing  by  Rod 
erick  and  Kino;  James  now.  and  none  of  their 

O  * 

uncle's  horses  were  good  enough  for  them. 

"  I  believe  I  won't  go,  fellows,"  said  Archie, 
at  length.  "I  have  a  good  mind  to  say  that  I 
will  never  leave  the  rancho  again,  until  I  get 
my  horse  back.  Will  you  agree  to  that,  Frank, 
if  I  will?" 

a  No,  sir  !  "  replied  his  cousin,  quickly.  "  I 
can't  see  the  use  of  hurting  my  nose  to  spite  my 
face.  I  am  going  on  that  expedition  with  Cap 
tain  Porter  this  winter,  if  I  have  to  ride  a  mule." 

"  Well,  it  beats  me  that  there  is  no  one  here 
who    can    catch   those   robbers,"    said   Archie, 
bitterly.     "Dick  Lewis,  I  have  lost  all  faith 
in  you." 
3 


34  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

The  trapper  was  seated  on  a  bench  beside  the 
door,  busy  at  work  on  a  new  hunting  shirt, 
which,  like  all  the  rest  of  his  garments,  was 
gaudily  ornamented  with  beads  and  bright-col 
ored  pieces  of  cloth.  He  smiled  good-naturedly 
at  Archie,  but  made  no  reply. 

"I  built  my  hopes  high  upon  you,"  contin 
ued  the  latter.  "You  have  spent  your  life  on 
the  frontier ;  fought  all  through  the  Mexican 
war;  have  shot  dozens  of  grizzly  bears  and 
Indians;  been  in  numberless  scrapes  with  all 
sorts  of  desperate  characters,  and  yet  you  allow 
Old  Davy  to  invade  the  rancho  every  night,  and 
walk  off  with  some  of  uncle's  best  stock,  and 
permit  a  band  of  horse-thieves  to  settle  down 
here  in  our  very  midst,  and  carry  on  their  trade 
without  a  word  of  protest.  What  do  you  mean 
by  it?" 

"  We  have  done  all  we  could,  little  ?un — mo 
an'  old  Bob  have,"  replied  the  trapper.  "  But 
do  n't  you  know  that  thar  are  things  movin' 
around  us  all  the  while,  that  no  livin'  man 
can't  foller,  'cause  they  don't  leave  no  trail?" 

"Of  course  there  are,"  said  Johnny.  "Birds, 
for  instance." 


A  STRANGE  STORY.  35 

"  But  the  birds  did  n't  steal  iny  horse,"  ex 
claimed  Archie. 

"  I  aint  sayin'  they  did,"  returned  Dick.  "  I 
know  well  enough  that  your  hosses  were  stole 
by  men,  'cause  I  seed  the  prints  of  their  feet 
in  front  of  this  yere  very  door.  I  know  which 
way  they  went,  too,  fur  me  an'  old  Bob  tracked 
em." 

"You  did?"  cried  Frank.  "Then  why 
did  n't  you  follow  them  up,  and  catch  them  ?  " 

"  'Cause  we  could  n't ;  that 's  the  reason.  It 's 
a  leetle  the  queerest  thing  I  ever  hearn  tell 
on." 

"What  is?"  asked  all  the  boys  in  a  breath. 
They  began  to  get  interested  and  excited  now, 
for  the  trapper's  mysterious  manner  indicated 
that  he  had  some  great  secret  to  communicate. 

"  I  haint  sartin  that  I  had  oughter  say  any 
thing  about  it,"  replied  Dick.  "  It 's  some 
thing  I  can't  begin  to  see  through,  an'  thai  's 
the  reason  I  haint  told  your  uncle  of  it.  You 
'member  when  Mr.  Winters  lost  them  two 
hosses  of  his'n,  do  n't  you  ?  Wai,  the  next 
mornin'  me  an'  ole  Bob  tracked  'em  nigh  onto 
five  miles,  an1  finally  lost  their  trail  about  a 


36  DON  CAKFJj.s'    KANCIIO. 

hundred  yards  from  the  creek  that  flows  on 
this  side  of  Don  Carlos'  rancho.  Thar  war  the 
prints  of  their  hoofs  in  the  soft  'arth,  as  plain 
as  bar's  ears,  an'  thar  the  trail  ended.  Now, 
where  did  them  two  bosses  go  to?  That 's  what 
I  want  to  know." 

"  Perhaps  they  turned  up  or  down  the  creek 
to  find  a  ford/'  said  Frank. 

"  They  could  n't  have  done  that  without  leav- 
in'  a  trail,  could  they?  It  was  a  good  hundred 
yards  to  the  creek,  as  I  told  you,  an'  me  an' 
Bob  sarched  every  inch  of  the  ground,  but 
could  n't  find  the  print  of  a  single  hoof." 

"  The  robbers  may  have  doubled  on  their 
trail,  for  the  purpose  of  throwing  you  off  the 
scent,"  suggested  Johnny. 

"  I  do  n't  reckon  that  men  who  have  hunted 
wild  Injuns  an'  varmints  as  long  as  me  an' 
Bob  have,  could  be  fooled  by  sich  a  trick  as 
that  ar',"  replied  the  trapper.  "I  have  since 
found  out  all  about  it,  youngsters.  Them  bosses 
did  n't  make  no  more  trail ;  that 's  the  reason 
we  could  n't  fuller  'em." 

"Then,  of  course,  they  didn't  go  any  far 
ther,"  said  Dick  Thomas. 


A  STRANGE  STORY.  37 

"Yes,  they  did.  They  went  acrost  that 
creek,  tin'  into  Don  Carlos'  rancho,  an'  never 
touched  the  ground,  nor  the  water  either." 

"  Into  Don  Carlos'  rancho  !  "  repeated  Archie 
in  great  astonishment. 

"  And  never  touched  the  ground  ! "  echoed 
Johnny.  "Were  they  carried  over?" 

"  Sartinly  not.     They  walked." 

"  How  could  two  solid  flesh-and-blood  horses 
walk  a  hundred  yards  without  stepping  on  the 
ground  ?  "  asked  Frank. 

"  They  could  step  on  something  else,  could  n't 
they  ?  They  walked  on  clouds  !  " 

As  the  trapper  said  this,  he  settled  back  on 
the  bench,  and  looked  at  the  boys,  to  observe 
the  effect  this  astounding  announcement  would 
have  upon  them.  He  expected  them  to  be 
greatly  amazed,  and  they  certainly  were.  Any 
four  boys  in  the  world  would  have  been  amazed 
to  hear  such  a  declaration  fall  from  the  lips  of 
a  man  whom  they  knew  to  be  strictly  truthful, 
and  who,  moreover,  was  not  jesting,  but  speak 
ing  in  sober  earnest.  They  looked  at  the  trap 
per  a  moment,  and  then  at  one  another,  and 
finally  Johnny  and  Dick  Thomas  burst  into  a 


38  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

loud  laugh  ;  while  the  cousins,  who  were  better 
acquainted  with  their  old  friend,  thrust  their 
hands  deep  into  their  pockets  with  an  air  which 
said  plainly  that  they  did  not  understand  the 
matter  at  all,  and  waited  patiently  for  him  to 
explain. 

"  You  may  believe  it  or  not,"  said  Dick,  "  but 
it's  a  fact,  'cause  ole  Bob  seed  it  with  his  own 
eyes.  He  watched  the  hul  thing  from  begin 
ning  to  end,  and  it  well-nigh  skeered  him  to 
death/' 

"What  did  he  see?"  asked  Frank,  growing 
more  and  more  bewildered.  "  I  did  n't  sup 
pose  that  Bob  was  afraid  of  any  living  thing." 

"Nor  he  aint,  nuthcr,"  returned  the  trapper, 
quickly.  "But  show  him  something  that  can't 
be  hurt  by  a  rifle-ball,  an'  he  '11  take  to  his 
heels  as  quick  as  any  body.  As  I  was  sayin', 
the  trail  of  them  two  bosses  ended  thar  on  the 
bank  of  that  creek,  an'  we  could  n't  find  it 
ag'in.  Me  an'  ole  Bob  puzzled  our  heads  over 
it  fur  a  long  time,  an'  we  finally  made  up  our 
minds  that  that  ar'  old  Spaniard,  Don  Carlos, 
could  tell  us  all  about  the  matter  if  he  was  a 
mind  to,  an'  Bob  said  that  we  would  go  back 


A  STRANGE  STORY.  39 

the  next  night,  an'  watch  his  rancho.  Wai, 
when  the  next  night  come,  we  could  n't  both 
go,  'cause  your  uncle  said  he  wanted  one  of  us 
to  keep  an  eye  on  the  stables :  so  I  stayed  at 
home,  an7  ole  Bob  went  alone.  He  was  gone 
about  three  hours,  an7  when  he  come  back  I 
seed  a  sight  I  never  seed  afore,  an'  one  I  never 
expect  to  see  ag'in.  Ole  Bob's  face  was  as  white 
as  a  Sunday  shirt,  an'  he  was  shakin'  all  over 
like  a  man  with  the  ager." 

"What  had  he  seen?"  repeated  Frank,  who 
was  impatient  to  get  at  the  bottom  of  the  mys 
tery. 

"  Easy,  easy,  youngster,  I  'm  comin'  to  that," 
replied  Dick.  "  Now,  I  've  knowed  ole  Bob 
ever  since  I  was  knee-high  to  a  duck,  an'  I  've 
been  with  him  in  more  'n  a  hundred  fights  with 
Injuns,  an'  Greasers,  an'  varmints — sometimes, 
too,  when  we  jest  did  get  away  with  our  ha'r, 
an'  that  was  all — but  I  never  seed  him  skeered 
afore.  It  made  me  feel  kinder  funny,  I  tell 
you,  'cause  I  knowred  that  thar  had  been  some 
thing  onnatural  goin'  on;  an'  I  aint  ashamed 
to  say  that  I  looked  all  around  this  yere  stable, 
to  make  sure  that  me  an'  him  were  alone.  Tho 


40  DON  CARLOS'  RAXCIIO. 

olc  feller  diil  n't  say  any  thing,  till  he  had  filled 
his  pipe  an'  smoked  it  about  half  out;  an'  then 
he  told  me  what  he  had  seed.  '  Dick/  says  he, 
'  thar  's  been  awful  things  agoin'  on  about  that 
ar'  old  Greaser's  rancho,  an'  if  I  had  n't  seed 
it  all  with  my  own  two  eyes,  I  should  n't  be 
lieve  it.  I  went  down  thar  where  we  lost  the 
trail  last  night,  an'  arter  hidin'  my  hoss  in  the 
bushes,  tuk  up  a  position  from  which  I  could 
watch  both  sides  of  the  creek.  I  knowed  that 
Don  Carlos  had  gone  to  bed,  'cause  thar  was 
no  light  about  the  rancho,  an'  the  doors  an' 
winder-shutters  were  all  closed.  I  had  n't 
been  thar  in  the  bushes  long,  afore  I  heered 
the  trampin'  of  bosses;  but  it  stopped  all  of  a 
sudden,  an'  fur  the  next  five  minutes  I  lay  thar 
on  the  ground  listenin/  an'  peepin'  through 
the  trees,  tryin'  to  get  a  sight  at  the  fellers. 
But  I  could  n't  sec  'cm,  an'  finally  I  begun  to 
crawl  up  closer. 

" l  Now,  the  last  time  I  looked  at  the  rancho, 
it  was  dark  an'  still,  an'  thar  was  n't  a  sign  of 
a  human  bein'  about  it;  an'  durin'  the  two 
minutes  I  was  crawlin'  t'wards  them  hossmen, 
thar  was  n't  even  the  rustlin'  of  a  leaf  to  tell 


A  STRANGE  STOEY.  41 

me  thai  tliar  was  any  thing  goin'  on.  But  sich 
fellers  as  them  that  live  in  that  rancho  do  n't 
make  no  noise  about  their  work.  They  had 
done  a  good  deal  in  them  two  minutes;  an' 
when  I  looked  acrost  the  creek  ag'in,  I  knowed 
how  it  come  that  we  had  lost  the  trail  of  them 
hosses.  I  seed  enough  to  skcer  me  wuss  nor  I 
was  ever  skeered  afore,  an'  if  I  could  have  got 
up  from  the  ground,  I  should  have  made  tracks 
from  thar  sudden :  but,  Dick,  I  could  n't  move — 
something  held  me  fast. 

" '  I  told  you  that  the  last  time  I  looked 
t'wards  the  rancho  it  was  all  dark,  didn't  I? 
Wai,  it  was  n't  so  now.  The  walls  of  the  build- 
in',  an'  the  bank  of  the  creek,  were  lighted 
up  by  streaks  of  fire ;  an'  where  they  come  from 
I  couldn't  tell.  Howsomever,  I  didn't  think 
much  about  that,  fur  I  seed  somethin'  else  that 
made  my  ole  'coon-skin  cap  raise  up  on  my 
head.  It  was  a  bridge  of  clouds,  which  ran 
from  the  wall  of  the  buildin'  down  to  the 
water's  edge.  Mebbe  you  won't  believe  that, 
Dick,  but  I  seed  it  with  my  own  eyes.  Them 
streaks  of  fire,  that  come  from  the  rancho, 
lighted  up  every  thing  fur  a  hundred  yards 


42  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

arouiul ;  an'  I  could  sec  the  clouds  a  rollin'  an' 
tumblin'  like  the  smoke  from  the  mouth  of  a 
cannon.  More  'n  that,  thar  was  a  small  flat- 
boat  in  the  creek,  which  I  had  n't  seed  thar 
afoiv,  an'  on  it  were  four  bosses  an'  three  men. 
Two  of  the  bosses  were  Roderick  and  King 
Jeems.  Each  one  had  a  feller  on  his  back,  an' 
each  feller  was  holdin'  another  boss  by  the 
bridle. 

" '  By  the  time  I  had  noted  these  things  the 
boat  begun  to  move,  an'  then  I  seed  something 
else  that  skeered  me.  That  ar'  boat,  JDick,  was 
rowed  acrost  that  creek  without  hands.  It's 
a  fact,  'cause  I  seed  it.  I  rubbed  my  eyes  to 
in;ik(-  sure  that  I  wasn't  dreamin',  but  thar 
wasn't  no  mistake  about  it.  Them  two  fellers 
sot  thar  on  their  bosses,  without  lay  in'  a  finger 
on  an  oar  or  paddle,  the  other  stood  in  the 
starn,  with  his  hands  in  his  pockets,  an'  yet 
the  boat  carried  them  acrost.  It  was  n't  no 
time  in  reachin'  the  other  bank,  an'  when  it 
stopped,  the  hossmen  rode  out  on  this  bridge 
of  clouds,  which  seemed  to  have  been  put  thar 
on  purpose  fur  them,  and  went  t'wards  the 
house.  I  kept  clost  watch  of  them,  to  sec  which 


A  STRANGE  STORY.  43 

way  they  turned,  but  they  did  n't  turn  at  all. 
They  kept  straight  ahead,  an'  went  into  the 
rancho.  I  rubbed  my  eyes  ag'in,  an'  when  I 
opened  'em  the  boat  was  n't  thar,  the  bridge  of 
clouds  had  disappeared,  the  fire  had  gone  out, 
an'  the  rancho  was  as  dark  an'  silent  as  though 
thar  had  never  been  nobody  about  it.  I  tell 
you,  Dick,  I  was  skeered  when  I  seed  that; 
but  I  've  got  a  leetle  courage,  I  reckon,  an'  I 
made  up  my  mind  that  I  would  find  out  the 
meanin'  of  them  strange  doin's,  or  die  a  tryin'. 
I  had  seed  them  two  fellers  go  into  the  rancho, 
an'  I  wanted  to  know  how  they  got  in,  an' 
what  they  wrere  goin'  to  do  thar.  I  did  n't 
stop  to  think  the  matter  over,  'cause  I  knowed 
I  should  back  out  if  I  did ;  but  jumpin'  to  my 
feet,  I  ran  down  the  bank  of  the  creek  to  the 
water,  an'  struck  out  for  the  other  shore.  I 
was  n't  long  in  gettin'  acrost,  an'  presently  I 
found  myself  standin'  clost  to  the  wall  where 
I  had  seed  the  fire  shinin',  an'  where  them  two 
hossmen  had  gone  in.  Was  I  really  awake? 
Had  I  seed  any  body  about  thar  at  all  ?  Dick, 
thar  was  n't  a  door  or  winder  on  that  side  of 
the  buildin' !  The  wall  was  as  solid  as  the 


44  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

ground  —not  a  single  crack  or  crevice  in  it. 
How  could  them  two  fellers  have  gone  through 
a  stone  wall  five  foot  ihick?  I  axed  myself 
that  question,  an'  then  I  fetched  a  little  whistle, 
an'  turned  an'  run  fur  my  life.  I  swum  that 
creek  quicker  'n  it  was  ever  swum  afore,  I 
reckon ;  an'  when  I  reached  my  boss,  I  put 
spurs  to  him,  an'  come  home  a  flyin'.  I  kept 
lookin'  back  all  the  while,  to  see  if  thar  was  n't 
somethin'  follerin'  me,  an'  I  did  n't  drawr  an 
easy  breath  until  I  come  within  sight  of  this 
rancho.  I  've  seed  an7  heered  of  a  heap  of  queer 
things  durin'  the  sixty  years  I  've  been  knocked 
about  on  the  prairy,  but  this  yere  is  a  leetle 
ahead  of  'em  all.'  That 's  the  way  old  Bob 
told  me  his  story,  youngsters,"  said  Dick,  in 
conclusion.  "  You  may  laugh  at  it  if  you  want 
to,  but  I  won't,  'cause  I  know  that  every  word 
of  it  is  the  truth." 

For  a  few  moments  after  the  trapper  ceased 
speaking,  the  boys  stood  looking  at  him  and  at 
one  another  in  blank  amazement.  His  story 
reminded  them  of  the  tales  of  enchantment 
they  liad  read  in  the  Arabian  Nights.  As 
Ht range  as  it  may  seem,  however,  tlu-y  were  not 


A  STRANGE  STOltY.  45 

so  much  astonished  at  the  recital  of  the  singular 
events  that  had  happened  at  the  old  Spaniard's 
rancho,  as  they  were  to  know  that  Roderick 
and  King  James  had  been  seen  to  go  in  there. 
Frank  turned  the  matter  over  in  his  mind,  and 
told  himself  that  he  had  heard  something  that 
would,  sooner  or  later,  lead  to  the  breaking  up 
of  the  robber-band.  Like  the  others,  he  could 
not  explain  the  "  bridge  of  clouds/7  nor  could 
he  understand  how  a  boat  could  be  ferried 
across  a  wide  creek  without  hands,  or  how  a 
solid  stone  wall,  five  feet  thick,  could  open  to 
admit  the  horsemen ;  but  still  he  knew  that  if 
these  things  had  really  happened,  they  were  the 
results  of  human  agency,  and  that  there  was 
nothing  supernatural  about  them.  He  did  not 
believe  that  Don  Carlos  had  any  thing  to  do 
with  the  horse-thieves,  and  yet  it  did  not  seem 
possible  that  such  proceedings  as  the  old  trap 
per  had  witnessed  could  go  on  in  his  rancho 
without  his  knowledge.  Don  Carlos  was  a 
prominent  personage  in  the  settlement.  He 
was  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  Southern 
California,  numbered  his  cattle  and  horses  by 
thousands,  his  money  by  bushels  instead  of 


46  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

dollars  (Uncle  James  had  once  told  his  nephews 
that  he  had  seen  three  barrels  of  gold  in  the 
old  Spaniard's  bedroom),  and  there  was  no  need 
that  he  should  risk  his  life  by  engaging  in  any 
such  business.  Besides,  he  had  lost  several 
fine  horses  himself,  and  had  been  untiring  in 
his  efforts  to  discover  the  thieves.  If  he  was 
one  of  the  guilty  parties,  he  certainly  had 
reason  to  congratulate  himself  on  the  skillful 
manner  in  which  he  had  avoided  arousing  the 
suspicions  of  his  neighbors. 

"  I  have  told  you  the  story,  youngsters,"  said 
Dick,  "  an'  you  can  do  what  you  think  best. 
You  can  bear  one  thing  in  mind,  howsomever, 
an'  that  is,  if  you  're  goin'  to  be  keerless,  like  you 
allers  are,  an'  try  to  find  out  what 's  been  goin' 
on  at  that  rancho,  you  can  look  to  the  settlers 
for  help,  if  you  want  any.  Ole  Bob  says  that 
thar  aint  money  enough  in  Californy  to  hire 
him  to  go  back  thar  ;  an'  if  he  won't  go,  you  'd 
better  believe  that  Dick  Lewis  won't  go  nuther. 
I  do  n't  want  to  sec  any  thing  that  ole  Bob  is 
afoared  of." 

"I  think  we  had  better  let  the  matter  rest 
until  Uncle  James  returns/'  said  Frank.  "  He 


A  STRANGE  STORY.  47 

will  know  what  ought  to  be  done.  Now  let  us 
go  out  and  look  at  that  trap/' 

"You  had  better  keep  away  from  thar,"  said 
Dick.  "  If  Ole  Davy  happens  to  be  prowlin' 
about  in  the  woods,  he  '11  larn  you  more  of  the 
nater  of  grizzly  bars  than  you  ever  knowed 
afore." 

"  O,  we  're  not  going  to  trouble  him/7  replied 
Johnny. 

"And  if  he  knows  when  he  is  well  off  he 
won't  trouble  us  either/'  said  Archie.  "I've 
wanted  to  fight  somebody  ever  since  I  lost  that 
horse ;  and  I  'm  just  as  willing  it  should  be 
Old  Davy  as  any  one  else." 

The  cousins  had  a  good  deal  of  trouble  in 
selecting  their  horses ;  but,  with  the  trapper's 
assistance,  they  were  finally  mounted  to  their 
satisfaction,  and  after  securing  their  weapons, 
and  a  couple  of  axes,  with  which  to  repair  the 
trap,  they  whistled  to  their  dogs,  and  galloped 
toward  the  mountains. 


48  DON  CARLOS'  EANCHO. 


CHAPTER   IV. 


FT  was  a  long  time  before  the  boys  ceased  to 
•*-  wonder  at  the  singular  story  they  had  just 
heard.  They  discussed  it  while  they  were  rid 
ing  toward  the  mountains;  but  after  they  had 
all  expressed  an  opinion,  they  were  as  much  in 
the  dark  as  they  had  been  before.  They  could 
not  understand  it  at  all.  Dick  Thomas  declared 
that  old  Bob  must  have  fallen  asleep  while  he 
was  watching  the  ranch  o,  and  that  the  bridge 
of  clouds,  the  streaks  of  fire,  and  the  boat  that 
was  ferried  across  the  creek  without  hands,  were 
things  which  he  had  seen  only  in  his  dreams. 
Such  incidents,  he  said,  might  have  happened 
in  feudal  times,  and  in  some  old  castle  which 
had  been  built  wTith  secret  doors  and  dungeons 
and  passage-ways;  but  no  one  need  try  to  make 
him  believe  that  they  could  take  place  at  that 


OLD  DAVY.  49 

late  day,  in  a  civilized  country,  and  in  a  house 
that  had  been  erected  simply  for  a  dwelling. 
It  was  ridiculous.  Johnny  said  that  was  his 
opinion,  too;  but  Frank  and  Archie,  who  knew 
that  the  old  trapper  was  not  the  man  to  fall 
asleep  while  watching  for  an  enemy,  were  con 
fident  that  something  unusual  and  exciting  had 
been  going  on  at  Don  Carlos'  rancho.  Bob 
was  a  very  ignorant  man,  and  of  course  he  was 
superstitious.  He  believed  in  signs  and  omens, 
and  any  thing  he  could  not  account  for  was 
sure  to  frighten  him.  This  may  have  led  him 
to  exaggerate  the  occurrences  at  the  rancho,  but, 
for  all  that,  they  knew  that  he  had  been  a  wit 
ness  to  some  strange  scenes. 

"  Old  Bob  did  n't  make  up  that  story,"  said 
Archie,  decidedly,  "and  he  never  dreamed  it, 
either.  He  saw  something,  and  I  '11  know  what 
it  was  before  I  am  two  days  older.  It's  my 
opinion  that  that  old  Spaniard  has  got  my 
horse :  and  if  he  has,  he  must  give  him  up,  or 
there  '11  be  a  bigger  fuss  in  this  settlement  than 
there  was  when  the  Indians  attacked  it  years  ago." 

But  all  thoughts  of  Don  Carlos  and  his 
rancho,  and  the  mysterious  things  that  had 
4 


50  DON  CARLOS'  RAXCIIO. 

happened  there,  were  soon  driven  out  of  their 
minds;  for,  by  this  time,  they  had  reached  tho 
spring  near  which  Frank,  Archie,  and  Johnny 
had  been  captured  by  Pierre  and  his  band,  and 
there  they  found  the  trap  of  which  they  were 
in  search.  It  was  built  of  heavy  logs,  with  a 
movable  top,  like  the  lid  of  a  box,  to  which, 
when  the  trap  was  set,  a  "trigger"  was  adjust 
ed,  in  such  a  manner  that,  when  the  bait  was 
removed,  the  top  would  fall  down,  confining 
the  bear  in  the  pen.  The  boys  thought  that 
Old  Davy  must  have  possessed  immense  power 
of  muscle  to  work  his  way  out  of  that  trap, 
He  had  left  the  marks  of  his  great  claws  am' 
teeth  on  the  logs,  and  there  were  the  prints  c 
his  feet  where  he  had  passed  along  the  muddy 
bank  of  the  spring  into  the  woods. 

Frank  and  his  companions  sat  in  their  sad 
dles  looking  at  the  trap,  while  the  dogs,  with 
all  the  bristles  on  their  backs  sticking  straight 
up,  ran  about  in  a  state  of  intense  excitement. 
The  boys  were  all  thinking  about  the  same 
thing :  and  that  was,  if  they  dared  to  send  on 
the  dogs,  and  could  find  and  shoot  Old  Davy, 
what  a  feather  it  would  be  iivtheir  caps!  That 


OLD  DAVY.  51 

would  bo  doing  something  that  Dick  Lewis 
and  Bob  Kelly  and  all  the  best  hunters  in  the 
settlement  had  tried  in  vain  to  accomplish. 
There  was  one  of  their  number  who  was  reck 
less  enough  to  believe  that  they  could  do  it,  and 
that  was  Archie  Winters. 

"Hi!  hi!"  he  yelled,  so  suddenly  that  he 
startled  all  his  companions.  "  Look  to  him, 
dogs.  Hunt  him  up  !  " 

No  sooner  were  the  words  spoken,  than  the 
dogs  uttered  a  simultaneous  yelp,  and  disap 
peared  in  the  bushes.  There  were  five  of  them 
in  the  pack — Marmion,  and  four  splendid 
hounds,  which  belonged  to  Dick.  Their  young 
masters  had  often  declared  that  they  should 
never  follow  Old  Davy's  trail,  for  he  was  a 
famous  hand  to  destroy  dogs,  and  during  his 
numerous  fights,  he  had  killed  nearly  all  the 
finest  animals  of  this  species  in  the  settlement. 
A  few  months  before,  every  farmer  in  that  sec 
tion  of  the  country  had  pointed  with  pride  to 
his  pack  of  fifteen  or  twenty  hounds,  to  which 
he  gave  as  much  care  and  attention  as  he  be 
stowed  upon  his  horses;  but  Old  Davy  had 
thinned  them  all  out,  and  now  some  of  the  set- 


52  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

tiers  had  only  two  or  three  remaining.  Frank 
and  Dick  had,  thus  far,  kept  their  favorites  at 
a  safe  distance  from  the  grizzly,  but  Archie  had 
sent  them  right  into  his  mouth.  When  the 
dogs  came  up  with  him,  they  would  of  course 
attack  him,  and  that  would  be  the  last  of  them. 
A  bear  that  could  demolish  twenty  fierce 
hounds  in  a  single  fight,  would  not  wink  over 
five  antagonists.  However,  it  was  too  late  to 
recall  them.  They  were  already  out  of  sight, 
and  yelping  fierce  and  loud  as  they  swept  up 
the  mountain  in  pursuit  of  the  grizzly. 

"  I  've  seen  my  hounds  for  the  last  time," 
said  Dick. 

"And  I'll  never  put  eyes  on  Marmion 
again,"  chimed  in  Frank.  ""What  made  you 
send  them  on,  Archie?" 

"  Now  look  here,  fellows,"  replied  the  latter. 
"We  have  said  a  hundred  times  that  we  wanted 
to  see  old  Davy,  and  I  'd  like  to  know  if  we'll 
ever  have  a  better  chance  than  we  've  got  now. 
Let 's  follow  the  dogs,  and  when  they  bring  us 
within  sight  of  the  bear,  we'll  call  them  off. 
We  can  look  at  him  without  having  a  fight  with 
him,  can't  we?" 


OLD  DAVY.  53 

The  others  were  by  no  means  sure  of  that. 
Those  who  knew  Old  Davy  best  said  that  he 
was  a  quarrelsome  fellow,  and  that  he  never 
hesitated  to  assault  any  body  who  invaded  his 
dominions.  A  black  bear,  unless  driven  des 
perate  by  hunger,  will  generally  take  to  his 
heels  at  the  sight  of  a  human  being ;  but  Old 
Davy  was  a  grizzly,  and  one  of  the  most  fero 
cious  of  his  species.  But,  although  the  boys 
were  well  aware  of  all  these  facts,  they  did  not 
hesitate  to  follow  Archie,  who,  without  waiting 
to  hear  what  his  companions  had  to  say  to  his 
proposition,  put  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  dashed 
into  the  bushes.  They  unslung  their  guns  as 
they  went  (although  they  all  declared  that  they 
had  not  the  slightest  intention  of  shooting  at 
the  bear  if  they  came  up  with  him),  and,  guided 
by  the  hoarse  baying  of  the  hounds  in  front, 
galloped  through  the  trees,  and  up  the  side  of 
the  mountain,  like  a  squad  of  cavalry  on  the 
charge. 

The  higher  they  went  the  more  difficult  the 
ascent  became.  The  bushes  were  thick,  fallen 
logs  incumbcred  the  ground,  and  the  trees  and 
saplings  grew  so  closely  together  that  their 


64  DON  CARLOS'  RANOHO. 

horses  could  scarcely  force  their  way  through 
them.  It  was  a  splendid  hiding-place  for  a 
bear,  and  Frank  could  not  help  asking  himself 
how  many  chances  there  were  in  a  hundred 
that  all  of  them  would  succeed  in  making  their 
escape,  if  Old  Davy  should  suddenly  pounce 
down  upon  them. 

After  a  tedious,  fatiguing  ride  of  half  an 
hour,  during  which  time  the  music  of  the 
hounds  continued  to  ring  out  louder  and  clear 
er,  as  the  trail  grew  warmer,  they  reached  the 
top  of  a  spur  of  the  mountain,  and  were  on 
the  point  of  descending  into  the  ravine  on  the 
opposite  side,  when  Dick  Thomas,  who  was 
leading  the  way,  suddenly  uttered  an  exclama 
tion,  and  stopped  his  horse. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  his  companions  in  a 
breath. 

"  We  'd  better  be  getting  away  from  here, 
follows/7  replied  Dick,  so  excited  that  he  could 
scarcely  speak  plainly.  "  There  's  the  old  ras 
cal  himself." 

"Who?  Where?  You  don't  mean  Old 
Davy  !" 

The  boys   nad  talked  bravrly  i-nough  about 


OLD  DAVY.  55 

meeting  this  dreaded  monster;  but  now  that 
they  were  close  upon  him,  their  courage  began 
to  ooze  out  at  the  ends  of  their  fingers,  and 
the  faces  they  turned  toward  Dick  were  a  good 
deal  paler  than  usual. 

"  Yes,  I  do  mean  Old  Davy.  Do  n't  you  see 
him  sitting  there  at  the  foot  of  that  mammoth 
oak?" 

The  boys  looked  through  the  trees  in  the 
direction  Dick  pointed,  and,  sure  enough,  there 
was  the  grizzly,  scarcely  more  than  a  hundred 
yards  distant.  There  could  be  no  mistake  as 
to  his  identity,  for  there  was  the  bald  spot  on 
his  forehead  as  plain  as  daylight.  They  had 
got  themselves  into  a  nice  scrape. 

That  was  the  first  thought  that  passed  through 
Frank's  mind,  and  the  next  was  that  he  would 
never  again  have  a  word  to  say  about  Marmion's 
courage.  He  had  never  been  more  astonished 
in  his  life,  than  he  was  when  he  witnessed  the 
actions  of  his  favorite.  The  hero  of  a  score  of 
hard-fought  battles,  the  dog  that  had  been  at 
the  killing  of  half  a  dozen  bears,  and  never  once 
hesitated  to  attack  the  largest  of  them — Mar- 
mion  the  infallible,  upon  discovering  Old  Davy, 


56 

uttered  one  howl  of  terror,  and  faced  about  and 
fled  for  dear  life.  The  hounds  followed  close 
at  his  heels,  and  such  a  scrambling  to  get  out 
of  harm's  way  Frank  had  never  seen  before. 
They  were  out  of  sight  in  an  instant. 

The  boys  had  prepared  themselves  to  see 
something  frightful  when  they  came  within 
sight  of  Old  Davy,  and  they  were  not  disap 
pointed,  lie  was  even  larger  and  uglier  than 
their  imaginations  had  pictured  him.  He  sat 
on  his  haunches  at  the  root  of  a  huge  oak, 
swinging  his  head  slowly,  from  side  to  side, 
and  apparently  unconscious  of  the  presence  of 
the  young  hunters. 

"  Well,  fellows,"  said  Frank,  who  was  the 
coolest  one  in  the  party,  "we  've  found  the  old 
villain,  and  now  what  are  we  going  to  do  with 
him?" 

"  Let 's  shoot  at  him  and  run,"  suggested 
Archie. 

"If  the  ground  was  clear,  and  I  had  my  own 
horse,  I  would  agree  to  that,"  replied  Frank. 
"  But  do  n't  you  know  that  this  mountain  behind 
us  is  almost  impassable?  AVh.it  would  happen 
to  us  if  we  should  fail  to  kill  or  disable  him, 


OLD  DAVY.  57 

and  our  horses  should  become  entangled  iii  the 
bushes?" 

"  Well,  we  must  do  something  very  soon," 
said  Johnny,  "for  the  old  fellow  is  n't  going 
to  sit  there  much  longer.  Pie  is  getting  un 
easy." 

Frank  raised  himself  in  his  stirrups  and  took 
a  survey  of  the  ground  before  him,  like  a 
general  who  was  about  to  lead  his  forces  into 
action.  But  he  had  no  intention  of  provoking 
a  fight  with  their  enemy.  His  only  desire  was 
to  bring  himself  and  companions  safely  out  of 
the  dangerous  predicament  in  which  they  had 
thoughtlessly  placed  themselves.  He  was  cer 
tain  that  when  they  began  to  retreat,  the  griz 
zly  would  assume  the  offensive ;  and  in  a  race 
through  those  thick  bushes,  he  would  have  a 
decided  advantage,  and  might  succeed  in  over 
taking  some  of  them. 

"There  is  only  one  thing  we  can  do,"  said 
he,  "and  that  is  to  get  down  to  the  bottom  of 
the  ravine." 

"  Why,  we  '11  have  to  go  right  past  Old 
Davy  to  get  there,"  said  Archie. 

"We  can't  help  that.     We  must  reach  clear 


58  DON  CARLOS'  KANT  no. 

ground,  where  we  will  have  a  fair  chance  for 
our  lives,  if  he  takes  it  into  his  head  to  attack 
us.  Move  in  single  file,  boys,  keep  close  to 
gether,  and  if  Old  Davy  shows  fight,  we ''11 
give  him  a  volley,  and  take  to  our  heels." 

"That's  the  way  to  do  it,"  said  Dick,  ap 
provingly.  "  You  give  the  commands,  Frank, 
and  then  every  thing  will  be  done  in  order." 

The  boys  were,  by  this  time,  recovering  from 
the  nervousness  that  had  been  occasioned  by 
the  first  sight  of  the  grizzly;  and,  as  their 
courage  returned,  there  was  more  than  one 
among  them  who  secretly  determined  that  he 
would  not  leave  the  field,  until  he  had  had  at 
least  one  fair  shot  at  the  bear.  They  had  swift 
horses  under  them,  trusty  weapons  in  their 
hands,  and  they  knew  that  if  Old  Davy  would 
keep  quiet  until  they  were  well  out  of  the 
bushes  into  clear  ground,  there  was  nothing  to 
be  afraid  of. 

Frank  turned  his  horse  and  rode  slowly  down 
the  mountain  toward  the  bottom  of  the  ravine, 
his  companions  following  after  in  <ingle  file. 
Tlu-v  oarried  their  rifles  across  their  saddles  in 
iVont  of  them,  cocked  and  ready  ji.r  instant  use, 


OLD  DAVY.  59 

and  eacli  t>oy  kept  his  eyes  fastened  upon  the 
grizzly.  Old  Davy  watched  them  closely,  too; 
and  when  he  saw  them  moving  about  among 
the  bushes,  he  raised  his  head  and  uttered  an 
angry  growl.  That  growl  had  a  demoralizing 
effect  upon  the  young  hunters,  for  their  line  of 
battle  was  broken  in  an  instant,  and  Frank's 
horse  made  one  or  two  frantic  leaps  down  the 
mountain,  almost  unseating  his  rider.  The  gen 
eral  consternation  was  greatly  increased  when 
Johnny  called  out  that  the  bear  was  coming. 

"Take  it  easy,  boys ! "  shouted  Frank,  with 
difficulty  restraining  his  frightened  horse. 
"  There  ?s  time  enough.  Wait  till  he  comes  out 
of  the  bushes,  and  fire  at  that  bald  spot  on  his 
forehead.  Be  sure  of  your  aim,  now." 

It  required  no  little  nerve  for  the  young 
hunters  to  sit  there  in  their  saddles  and  await 
the  onslaught  of  that  enraged  grizzly.  They 
could  not  see  him  now,  but  they  heard  his  an 
gry  growls,  and  saw  the  bushes  shake  and  bend 
as  he  charged  toward  them.  Presently  his 
enormous  head  and  shoulders  emerged  from  a 
thicket  scarcely  more  than  twenty-five  yards 
distant,  and  Frank  gave  the  word. 


60  DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO 

"  Ready  !     Aim  !     Fire ! "  he  shouted. 

Four  shining  rifle-barrels  arose  in  line)  four 
sights  covered  the  bear's  head,  four  fingers 
pressed  the  trigger  at  the  same  instant,  a  roar 
that  awoke  the  echoes  far  and  near  rang  through 
the  mountains,  and  before  the  smoke  cleared 
away,  four  frightened  horses  had  dashed  past 
Old  Davy,  and  were  carrying  their  riders  down 
the  ravine  with  the  speed  of  the  wind.  The 
boys  knew  that  their  hands  trembled,  but  they 
were  all  good  marksmen,  and  they  were  sure 
that  at  least  one  of  the  four  bullets  that  had 
been  fired  at  the  grizzly's  head,  had  found  a 
lodgment  in  some  vital  part;  but  what  was 
their  amazement,  when  they  reached  the  bottom 
of  the  ravine,  and  turned  in  their  saddles  and 
looked  back,  to  see  Old  Davy  still  on  his  feet, 
and  coming  down  the  mountain  in  hot  pursuit. 
He  did  not  appear  to  have  been  in  the  least 
injured  by  the  storm  of  bullets  they  had  rained 
upon  him. 


A  RUNNING    FIGHT. 


CHAPTER  V, 

A  RUNNING  FIGHT. 

FT  was  one  of  Dick's  sayings  that  bear-hunt- 
•*•  ing  was  a  "  business  by  itself" — as  much  so 
as  book-keeping  or  steamboating ;  and  Frank 
and  Archie  had  been  in  California  long  enough 
to  learn  that  the  trapper  told  the  truth  in  this, 
as  in  other  matters.  It  was  a  favorite  pastime 
with  the  settlers  in  that  section  of  the  country, 
and  the  cousins  had  seen  as  many  as  thirty  men 
take  part  in  a  single  hunt.  They  were  gener 
ally  divided  into  two  parties:  some  went  in  the 
drive — that  is,  they  followed  the  hounds,  and 
if  the  bear  was  brought  to  bay  by  them,  they 
signaled  to  their  companions  with  their  hunt 
ing  horns.  The  others  were  scattered  about 
among  the  mountains,  watching  the  "runa 
ways,"  and  holding  themselves  in  readiness  to 
ehoot  the  bear  if  he. attempted  to  pass  by  them. 


02  DON  CAI:U>S'  IIANCIIO. 

This  was  the  part  our  four  boys  always  took  in 
:i  bear-hunt,  and  they  had  engaged  in  so  many 
during  the  last  few  weeks,  that  they  began  to 
consider  themselves  experts  in  the  business. 
They  had  never  killed  a  grizzly,  but  they  eould 
boast  of  having  had  an  exciting  fight  with  one. 
How  it  would  have  ended  it  is  hard  to  tell. 
The  boys  were  getting  the  worst  of  it  (by  that 
we  mean  that  the  bear  was  charging  upon  them, 
and  they  were  running  for  dear  life  toward  the 
place  where  they  had  left  their  horses),  when 
Mr.  Harris,  who  happened  to  be  near  at  hand, 
came  up  and  put  an  end  to  the  fight  by  shoot 
ing  the  bear  through  the  head.  The  boys  after 
ward  had  reason  to  wish  that  he  had  stayed 
uwav  a  few  minutes  longer;  for  all  the  hunters 
in  the  settlement  laughed  at  them,  and  Mr, 
Harris  created  a  great  deal  of  amusement  by 
showing  how  Johnny  looked  when  he  was  run 
ning  through  the  bushes,  with  his  coat-tails 
sticking  straight  out  behind  him.  They  de 
fended  themselves  against  the  charge  of  coward 
ice  with  a  good  deal  of  spirit,  and  did  not,  by 
any  means,  acknowledge  themselves  whipped, 
affirmed  that  it  was  their  intention  to 


A  RUNNING    FIG  TIT.  63 

draw  the  bear  into  open  ground,  and  continue 
the  fight  on  horseback;  but  the  old  hunters 
refused  io  believe  this  story,  and  the  boys 
solemnly  avowed  that,  if  they  ever  got  a  fair 
chance,  they  would  show  them  that  they  could 
kill  a  bear  as  well  as  any  body.  Now  they 
had  an  opportunity  to  try  their  skill  on  Old 
Davy,  and  this  was  the  time  to  make  good 
their  boasts.  The  result  of  this  day's  work 
would  be  a  fair  test  of  their  abilities  as  bear- 
hunters.  There  were  no  dogs  to  worry  the 
grizzly,  and  no  experienced  men,  with  quick 
eyes  and  steady  hands,  to  ride  up  and  rescue 
them  if  they  came  to  close  quarters  with  their 
enemy.  They  had  no  one  to  depend  upon  but 
themselves;  and,  if  they  killed  the  bear,  the 
glory  would  be  all  their  own. 

"  I  am  going  to  have  one  more  shot  at  that 
fellow  before  I  leave  him,"  said  Archie,  with 
as  much  apparent  indifference  as  though  he  was 
speaking  of  shooting  at  a  squirrel.  "He'll 
never  rob  any  more  cow-pens  when  I  am  done 
with  him. 

The  boys  were  all  wonderfully  brave  and 
reckless  now  that  they  imagined  themselves 


64 

safe  from  the  claws  of  the  grizzly :  but  when 
they  reached  the  bottom  of  the  ravine,  and 
found  that  their  situation  there  was  not  much 
better  than  it  had  been  on  the  mountain-side, 
their  courage  all  left  them  again,  and  they  had 
nothing  more  to  say  about  shooting  Old  Davy. 
They  were  really  in  more  danger  now  than  they 
had  been  before,  for  they  had  but  one  way  to 
run.  On  two  sides  of  them  were  precipitous 
cliffs,  which  could  not  be  scaled  on  horseback ; 
behind  them  was  the  grizzly;  and  in  front  an 
almost  impenetrable  wall  of  bushes  shut  them 
off  from  the  prairie  beyond.  They  took  this 
all  in  at  a  glance,  and,  knowing  that  there  was 
but  one  way  of  escape  open  to  them,  they  urged 
their  horses  forward  at  increased  speed,  and 
dashed  pell-mell  into  the  bushes,  where,  a  mo 
ment  afterward,  they  found  themselves  brought 
to  a  dead  halt.  Their  horses,  snorting  with 
terror,  exerted  themselves  to  the  utmost,  but 
without  making  any  perceptible  headway,  and 
but  a  short  distance  behind  them  came  the  bear, 
lumbering  along  as  easily  as  though  the  bushes, 
which  effectually  checked  their  progress,  had 
been  nothing  more  than  so  many  straws  in  his 


A  RUNNING  FIGHT.  65 

way.  It  was  a  critical  moment,  and  more  than 
one  among  the  young  hunters  gave  himself  up 
for  lost.  Beyond  a  doubt  it  would  have  been  the 
last  bear-hunt  for  somebody,  had  it  not  been 
for  the  coolness  and  courage  of  Frank  Nelson. 
Seeing  that  the  grizzly  was  gaining  rapidly, 
and  that  he  would  certainly  overtake  them 
before  they  could  work  their  way  out  of  the 
bushes,  he  very  deliberately  slung  his  rifle  over 
his  shoulder,  and  drew  one  of  his  revolvers. 
Reining  in  his  plunging,  frantic  horse,  he  faced 
about  in  his  saddle,  and  took  a  deliberate  aim 
at  the  bear's  head. 

"Shoot  close,  Frank,"  said  Johnny,  whose 
horse  seemed  to  be  hopelessly  entangled  in  the 
bushes.  "  If  you  miss,  somebody  is  done 
for." 

With  almost  breathless  anxiety  his  compan 
ions  awaited  the  result  of  his  shot ;  and  when 
the  smoke  of  the  revolver  had  cleared  away, 
and  Old  Davy  was  seen  struggling  on  the 
ground,  the  shout  that  went  up  from  four  pairs 
of  strong  lungs  was  almost  deafening. 

"  Hurrah  for  the  champion  rifle-shot !  "  yelled 
Dick.     "He's  down!" 
5 


66 


"But  he's  up  again!"  exclaimed  Frank, 
"Push  ahead,  fellows!" 

During  the  delay  occasioned  by  Frank's  Kicky 
shot,  short  as  it  was,  the  boys  gained  consid 
erable  ground  ;  and  before  the  grizzly  was  fairly 
en  his  feet  again,  they  had  worked  their  way 
out  of  the  bushes  into  the  bed  of  a  creek  which 
ran  through  the  ravine.  As  the  water  was  but 
a  few  inches  deep,  it  formed  an  excellent  high 
way";  and,  with  another  shout,  the  boys  gave 
rein  to  their  horses,  which  set  off  at  a  rapid 
gallop,  leaving  Old  Davy  far  in  the  rear.  They 
were  safe  now,  and  their  courage  rose  again. 

"  Is  n't  there  any  way  to  get  the  better  of 
that  fellow?"  asked  Archie.  "If  we  can  in 
duce  him  to  follow  us  out  on  the  prairie,  I  '11 
ride  home  after  Dick  Lewis.  He'll  fix  him." 

"  Oh,  he  will  follow  us,"  replied  Johnny : 
"you  need  not  be  at  all  uneasy  about  that.  I 
guess  you  have  n't  learned  much  about  grizzlies 
yet." 

Archie  thought  of  the  adventures  he  had  had 
with  these  animals  when  he  and  his  friends  were 
encamped  at  the  Old  Bear's  Hole,  and  told 
himself  that  he  had  learned  a  good  deal  about 


A  RUNNING  FIGHT*  67 

them ;  perhaps  quite  as  much  as  his  friend 
Johnny,  who  had  lived  among  them  all  his 
life. 

"  I  declare,  he  ?s  coming  now,"  continued  the 
latter,  looking  over  his  shoulder.  "  I  do  n't 
believe  we  have  hurt  him  at  all." 

The  others  were  of  the  same  opinion.  Old 
Davy  made  headway  astonishingly  for  an  ani 
mal  that  had  five  bullets  in  him,  and  during 
the  next  ten  minutes  they  did  not  gain  on  him 
more  than  a  stone's  throw.  But  that  did  not 
cause  them  any  uneasiness.  They  knew  that 
the  grizzly  could  not  overtake  them  as  long  as 
the  way  was  clear  before  them,  and  as  they 
dashed  along  they  discussed  the  best  means  of 
conquering  their  dreaded  enemy.  When  they 
got  him  out  on  the  prairie  should  they  stop 
and  fight  him,  or  go  home  after  the  trapper? 
They  knew  that  they  would  gain  a  good  deal 
of  honor,  if  they  could  exhibit  the  grizzly's 
skin  as  a  trophy  of  their  prowess,  but  they 
were  so  much  afraid  of  him  that  they  did  not 
want  to  permit  him  to  come  within  shooting 
distance  of  them  again,  if  they  could  avoid  it. 
They  did  not  have  time,  however,  to  come  to 


68 


any  decision  on  these  points,  for  they  suddenly 
discovered  something  that  drove  all  their  plans 
for  Old  Davy's  destruction  out  of  their  minds, 
and  turned  their  thoughts  to  a  matter  of  much 
more  importance — their  own  safety.  As  they 
swept  around  an  abrupt  bend  in  the  creek,  they 
found  themselves  brought  to  a  stand-still  by  a 
huge  tree  which  had  fallen  across  the  ravine. 
Against  the  body  of  the  tree  was  piled  a  mass 
of  smaller  logs  and  branches,  which  had  prob 
ably  lodged  there  during  high  water,  the  whole 
forming  an  obstruction  at  least  seven  feet  in 
height.  They  could  not  go  around  it,  because 
of  the  cliffs  on  each  side ;  and  they  dared  not 
turn  back,  for  there  was  the  grizzly  close  be 
hind  them.  They  were  fairly  cornered. 

The  boys  became  appalled  when  they  saw  the 
danger  of  their  situation,  and  for  a  moment 
they  sat  in  their  saddles  as  motionless  as  if 
they  had  been  turned  into  stone.  Then  a 
glance  over  their  shoulders  showed  them  thai 
the  grizzly  still  kept  up  the  pursuit ;  and  that 
once  more  aroused  them. 

"What  shall  we  do?"  asked  Archie,  turn 
ing  his  pale  face  toward  his  cousin,  to  whom 


A  RUNNING  FIGHT.  69 

he  always  looked  for  advice  and  assistance  in 
times  of  danger. 

Frank's  answer  was  not  given  in  words, 
When  they  first  discovered  the  obstruction  In 
their  path,  they  had  stopped  their  horses,  and 
during  the  half  a  minute  of  inactivity  that 
preceded  Archie's  question,  Frank  had  taken  a 
survey  of  the  situation,  and  determined  upon 
his  course.  The  others  knew  what  it  was  when 
they  saw  him  bend  forward  in  his  saddle,  and 
gather  his  reins  firmly  in  his  hand. 

"  You  can't  do  it ! "  Dick  almost  gasped. 
"It  is  too  high." 

Before  the  words  were  fairly  uttered,  Frank's 
horse  was  flying  down  the  ravine  at  the  top  of 
his  speed.  For  a  moment  the  gravel  and  water 
flew  about  in  all  directions,  then  there  was  a 
crushing  among  the  branches  which  had  lodged 
against  the  body  of  the  tree,  and  Frank  had 
disappeared  from  view.  His  horse  had  jumped 
the  log ;  and  if  the  others  could  be  induced  to 
follow,  the  young  hunters  were  safe. 

•'I  did  it  easily  enough,  did  n't  I?"  shouted 
Frank,  waving  his  hat  to  his  companions., 
"  Come  on,  fellows.  It  7s  your  only  chance." 


70  DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

As  soon  as  he  could  stop  his  horse  he  turned 
to  wait  for  the  others.  Then  for  the  first  time 
he  realized  how  high  the  obstruction  was — 
what  a  tremendous  jump  his  horse  must  have 
made  to  carry  him  safely  over  it — and  he  trem 
bled  when  he  saw  his  companions  preparing  to 
follow  him.  As  he  sat  in  his  saddle,  he  could 
just  look  over  the  log  and  watch  their  move 
ments.  A  very  slight  accident — a  single  in 
stant's  hesitation  on  the  part  of  one  of  their 
horses — might  result  in  a  terrible  tragedy. 

Johnny  was  the  first  to  take  the  leap.  In 
response  to  a  light  touch  from  his  spurs,  his 
horse  arose  in  the  air  and  sailed  over  the  log 
like  a  bird.  Two  of  them  were  safe,  and  their 
courage  arose  again  wonderfully  :  but  now  mis 
fortunes  befell  them.  Archie's  horse  made  an 
awkward  start,  and  striking  his  fore-feet  against 
a  branch  of  the  tree,  fell  rather  than  jumped 
over  the  obstruction,  dashing  his  rider  with 
stunning  violence  to  the  ground.  Dick's  horse 
came  on  gallantly  enough,  but  stopped  when 
he  reached  the  log,  laid  back  his  ears,  and 
stubbornly  refused  to  move  an  inch  in  any  di- 
rec'tion.  Johnny  turned  white  with  terror,  and 


A  RUNNING  FIGHT.  71 

the  ramrod  with  which  Frank  was  driving 
home  a  ball  in  his  rifle,  trembled  like  a  leaf 
in  his  grasp.  There  was  Archie  lying  stunned 
and  bleeding  where  he  had  fallen,  Dick  on  a 
balky  horse,  which  only  kicked  viciously  when 
his  rider  touched  him  with  his  spurs,  and  the 
bear  close  behind,  and  coming  on  as  fiercely  as 
ever. 

Frank  gazed  in  bewilderment  and  dismay  at 
the  scene  before  him,  and  his  first  impulse  was 
to  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  ride  away,  that 
he  might  not  see  what  would  follow  when  the 
grizzly  came  up.  But  that  feeling  was  short 
lived.  He  knew  that  neither  Archie  nor  Dick 
would  have  deserted  him  had  he  been  in  their 
situation,  and  if  he  could  not  save  them,  he 
would,  at  least,  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing 
that  he  had  done  what  he  could. 

"  Johnny,"  he  exclaimed,  in  a  voice  which 
to  save  his  life  he  could  scarcely  raise  above  a 
whisper,  "  can  you  take  Archie  in  front  of  you  ?  " 

"Hand  him  up  here,"  was  Johnny's  reply. 
"  I  '11  take  care  of  him." 

"  Dick,"  continued  Frank,  "jump  down  from 
that  horse,  and  mount  Archie's." 


72 

Dick  was  prompt  to  act  upon  the  suggestion. 
He  threw  himself  from  his  horse,  which  he 
sincerely  hoped  would  stand  where  he  wag 
until  Old  Davy  could  get  his  claws  upon  him, 
tumbled  over  the  log,  and  in  a  moment  moro 
was  safe  in  Archie's  saddle.  Frank,  in  the 
mean  time,  had  raised  his  cousin  from  the 
ground,  and  placed  him  upon  Johnny's  horse; 
and  by  the  time  the  grizzly  came  in  sight,  the 
boys  were  ready  to  continue  their  flight. 

"Ride  for  life,  now,  Johnny/'  said  Frank. 
"  Remember  that  you  have  got  a  double  load, 
and  do  n't  spare  the  whip." 

"  Do  n't  be  uneasy,"  was  the  answer.  "  I  've 
a  splendid  horse,  and  I  won't  be  long"- 

Another  misfortune  cut  short  Johnny's  words. 
If  his  horse  was  a  splendid  animal,  he  was  also 
a  most  vicious  one,  and  he  did  not  like  to  carry 
double.  No  sooner  did  he  feel  Archie's  weight 
on  his  back,  than  he  set  off  at  a  furious  pace, 
and  suddenly  throwing  down  hb  head,  sent 
both  his  heels  high  into  the  air.  Johnny,  being 
AD  excellent  horseman,  and  always  on  the  watch 
for  such  eccentricities,  would  have  had  no  dif 
ficulty  in  retaining  his  seat,  hud  not  the  .saddle- 


A  EUNNING  FIGHT.  73 

girth  parted  with,  a  loud  snap,  throwing  him 
and  Archie  headlong  to  the  ground. 

"  Did  any  body  ever  hear  of  such  luck ! " 
growled  Johnny,  who  was  on  his  feet  almost 
as  soon  as  he  touched  the  ground.  "  Come 
here,  Dick ;  you  '11  have  to  take  him  now." 

He  gave  one  parting  glance  at  his  horse, 
which  was  flying  down  the  ravine,  and  then 
raised  his  insensible  companion  in  his  arms, 
and  ran  toward  Dick,  who  galloped  up  to  meet 
him.  The  former  took  the  wounded  hunter 
upon  his  horse  and  continued  his  flight,  while 
Johnny  picked  up  his  gun,  and  drew  a  bee-line 
for  the  nearest  tree. 

While  this  Avas  going  on,  Frank  had  finished 
loading  his  rifle,  and  dismounted  from  his 
horse,  and  was  now  standing  in  front  of  the 
log,  awaiting  the  approach  of  the  grizzly,  and 
ready  to  carry  out  his  self-imposed  task  of 
covering  the  retreat  of  the  others.  In  one 
hand  he  held  his  bridle,  and  in  the  other  his 
trusty  weapon,  which  he  raised  to  his  shoulder 
now  and  then,  as  he  caught  sight  of  the  grizzly 
through  the  branches  of  the  tree.  He  knew 
that  every  thing  depended  upon  the  result  of 


74  DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

this  shot,  and  he  was  resolved  that  he  would 
not  fire  until  a  fair  mark  was  presented.  He 
tried  to  argue  himself  into  the  belief  that  Old 
Davy  was  a  squirrel,  and  that  he  could  easily 
put  a  ball  into  one  of  his  eyes  at  a  distance  of 
fifty  yards.  He  recalled  to  mind  some  of  the 
excellent  shots  he  had  made  during  the  last 
few  days,  and  tried  hard  to  keep  up  his  cour 
age  by  telling  himself  that  it  was  seldom  in 
deed  that  he  missed  his  mark.  Still  he  did 
miss  sometimes,  and  what  would  be  the  result 
if  he  missed  now  ?  His  life  would  not  be  worth 
a  moment's  purchase.  He  would  not  have  time 
to  mount  before  the  grizzly  would  be  close  up 
on  him.  But  even  if  he  did  succeed  in  making 
his  escape,  how  far  could  Dick's  horse  carry 
his  double  load  before  he  would  be  overtaken? 
Once  more  Frank  raised  his  rifle,  and  just  at 
that  moment  Old  Davy's  head  and  shoulders 
appeared  above  the  log,  not  more  than  ten  feet 
distant.  His  mouth  was  open,  showing  a  fright 
ful  array  of  teeth,  his  ears  were  laid  back  close 
to  his  head,  his  eyes  seemed  to  shoot  forth  an 
gry  sparks  of  fire,  and,  altogether,  his  appear 
ance  was  enough  to  shake  the  strongest  nerves. 


A  RUNNING  FIGHT.  75 

But  Frank's  were  as  firm  as  a  rock.  The  trusty 
rifle  was  held  as  steadily  as  though  it  were  a 
part  of  him  it  had  served  so  long  and  faith 
fully  ;  and  just  as  the  grizzly's  fore-feet  touched 
the  ground,  a  sharp  report  rang  through  the 
ravine,  and  for  an  instant  the  smoke  concealed 
both  hunter  and  bear  from  the  view  of  Johnny, 
who,  from  his  perch  in  a  neighboring  tree,  had 
watched  all  that  was  going  on  before  him  with 
breathless  anxiety.  When  the  smoke  cleared 
away  he  saw  Frank  standing  erect  and  un 
harmed,  and  Old  Davy  lying  motionless  where 
he  had  fallen.  Frank's  bullet  had  reached  its 
mark. 


7S  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 


CHAPTER   VI. 


ALD  DAVY,  the  terror  of  the  country,  the 
destroyer  of  dogs,  and  winner  of  goodness 
knows  how  many  desperate  battles — Old  Davy 
the  invincible — had  met  his  match  at  last  in 
Frank  Nelson,  a  boy  of  sixteen.  The  young 
hunter  had  long  enjoyed  an  enviable  reputa 
tion,  dating  as  far  back  as  his  desperate  fight 
with  the  moose,  which  had  taken  place  during 
the  previous  winter,  while  he  and  Archie  were 
sojourning  at  Uncle  Joe's  cabin.  Since  that 
time  he  had  been  the  hero  of  as  many  scrapes 
as  a  boy  of  his  age  could  well  get  into.  He 
had  been  lost  on  the  prairie;  stampeded  witli 
a  herd  of  buffaloes;  passed  a  night  in  the  camp 
of  a  band  of  blood-thirsty  outlaws,  who  stole 
his  horse  and  threatened  to  tie  him  to  a  tree 
and  leave  him  to  the  mercy  of  the  wolves;  had 


DON  CARLOS1  RANCHO.  77 

three  desperate  encounters  with  a  highwayman, 
and  been  captured  at  last  and  held  as  a  pris 
oner  by  him ;  and  in  all  these  trying  situations 
he  had  shown  that  he  possessed  a  wonderful 
degree  of  courage,  and  had  always  conducted 
himself  in  a  way  to  draw  forth  the  highest 
praise  from  his  friends  the  trappers.  But  all 
his  former  exploits  were  as  nothing  compared 
with  the  feat  he  had  just  accomplished.  He 
had  a  reputation  now  that  any  farmer  in  that 
country  would  have  been  proud  to  possess.  He 
would  be  pointed  out  as  the  one  who  had  killed 
a  monster  which  had  held  his  own  against  all 
the  men  and  dogs  that  could  be  brought  against 
him ;  and  when  he  heard  old  bear-hunters  re 
counting  their  adventures,  and  boasting  of  their 
achievements,  he  could  hold  his  head  as  high 
as  any  of  them. 

That  was  what  Frank  thought  half  an  hour 
after  the  fight  was  over;  but,  when  he  stood 
there  looking  at  his  prize  and  at  his  companions 
— at  Archie,  who  sat  on  the  ground  beside  the 
bear,  with  his  aching  head  resting  on  his  hands, 
and  at  Dick,  one  or  both  of  whom  had  be-en 
saved  by  his  lucky  shot,  he  never  reflected  on 


78  DON  CARLOS*  RANCHO. 

the  glory  he  had  won.  He  could  not  help 
thinking  of  what  the  consequences  would  have 
been  if  he,  in  his  excitement,  had  missed  the 
bear,  or  failed  to  disable  him. 

Never  before  had  the  boys  engaged  in  so 
exciting  a  battle.  It  was  far  ahead  of  any  of 
their  former  hunts.  It  had  been  ended  so  for 
tunately,  too!  Archie  had  a  lame  shoulder  and 
a  bruised  nose,  and  for  a  few  minutes  had  been 
utterly  unconscious  of  what  was  going  on  around 
him  ;  but  he  did  not  feel  half  so  badly  about 
it  as  Dick  did  over  the  trick  his  horse  had 
played  upon  him. 

"  I  '11  fix  him  for  that,"  said  the  boy,  with  a 
threatening  shake  of  his  head.  "I'll  put  him 
in  one  of  father's  teams,  and  make  him  work 
for  his  living.  I  do  n't  owe  him  any  thanks 
for  coming  out  of  this  fight  with  a  whole  skin. 
After  he  has  made  a  few  trips  between  our 
rancho  and  San  Diego,  hauling  heavy  loads  of 
provisions,  he  '11  wish  he  had  behaved  him 
self." 

"  I  '11  tell  you  what  I  am  going  to  do  with 
mine,"  said  Archie,  with  a  glance  of  contempt 
at  the  nag  which  had  been  the  cause  of  hi* 


79 

misfortune:  "I'll  leave  him  out  of  doors  to 
night,  and  let  the  horse-thieves  steal  him.'' 

"  I  do  n't  see  how  you  can  be  revenged  011 
the  horse  by  doing  that/'  said  Frank.  "  I 
do  n't  suppose  it  makes  much  difference  to  kirn 
who  he  has  for  a  master." 

"  Who  said  I  wanted  to  be  revenged  on  the 
horse?"  asked  Archie.  "I  don't;  but  I'll 
take  a  terrible  revenge  on  the  robbers.  Per 
haps  the  fellow  who  gets  this  horse  will  try  to 
jump  him  over  a  log,  and  the  horse  will  fall 
down  with  him,  as  he  did  with  me,  and  smash 
the  robber's  nose,  and  knock  his  shoulder  out 
of  joint.  That 's  the  way  I  '11  get  even  with 
him." 

"  Three  cheers  for  the  champion  rifle-shot 
and  bear-killer ! "  yelled  Johnny,  for  the  twen 
tieth  time. 

Again  and  again  the  ravine  echoed  with  lusty 
shouts — even  Archie  lifted  his  pale  face  and 
joined  in  with  a  feeble  voice — and  having  thug 
given  vent  to  their  enthusiasm,  the  boys  pulled 
off  their  jackets  and  began  the  work  of  remov 
ing  the  grizzly's  skin. 

"  That  will  be  a  valuable    addition    to  our 


80  DON  CARLOS'  RANCH o. 

museum  at  home,  won't  it?"  asked  Archie, 
stretching  himself  out  in  the  shade  of  a  tree 
close  by.  "  When  it  is  stuffed  and  mounted, 
it  will  be  worth  all  our  other  specimens  put 
together.  I  'd  give  something  to  know  what 
Dick  Lewis  will  have  to  say  about  it.  Hallo ! " 

The  boys  looked  up  to  see  what  had  caused  this 
exclamation,  and  discovered  the  trapper  standing 
at  a  little  distance  from  them,  closely  watching 
their  operations.  They  had  often  seen  him  as 
tonished,  but  never  before  had  they  seen  such 
a  look  of  utter  amazement  as  that  which  now 
overspread  his  face.  He  stood  with  his  body 
bent  forward,  his  neck  stretched  out,  and  his 
eyes  almost  starting  from  their  sockets.  With 
one  hand  he  held  his  horse,  and  in  the  other 
his  rifle,  with  the  butt  of  which  he  was  thump 
ing  the  ground  energetically,  as  if  giving  em 
phasis  to  some  thoughts  that  were  passing 
through  his  mind.  His  whole  attitude  and 
appearance  indicated  that  he  was  little  prepared 
for  the  scene  he  was  witnessing. 

"Hallo,  Dick  ! "  exclaimed  Johnny ;  "  we  're 
glad  to  see  you.  You  and  old  Bob  can  just 
hang  up  your  fiddles  now.  There  's  a  hunter 


81 

in  the  settlement  who  is  a  long  way  ahead  of 
both  of  you." 

The  trapper  tied  his  horse  to  a  limb  of  the 
nearest  tree,  and  walked  toward  the  boys.  "  You 
amazin'  keerless  feller!"  said  he,  addressing 
himself  to  Frank,  "I  b'lieve  it's  my  boundeii 
duty  to  take  this  yere  ramrod  out  of  my  gun 
an7  give  you  the  best  kind  of  a  wallopin'." 

"  You  had  better  be  careful  how  you  talk  to 
him,"  said  Dick  Thomas.  "  He  's  the  man  who 
killed  Old  Davy." 

" Do  n't  I  know  all  about  it?"  exclaimed 
the  trapper.  "  Did  n't  I  say  to  myself  this 
morn  in',  when  you  fellers  left  the  ran  eh  o,  that 
somethin'  was  goin'  to  happen?  Didn't  I 
saddle  up  my  hoss  an'  foller  you,  to  keep  an 
eye  on  you,  an'  haint  you  gone  an'  fit  an'  killed 
that  ar'  grizzly  bar  afore  I  could  find  you,  to 
lend  you  a  helpin'  hand?  You  have;  an'  it 
beats  any  thing  I  ever  heern  tell  on.  The  next 
thing  I  know  you  will  be  foolin'  around  among 
them  hoss-thieves." 

This    was    the    way    Dick    always    lectured 
Frank  and  Archie  whenever  they  did  any  tiling 
that   astonished   him,  and  a   stranger,  to  have 
6 


DON  CARLOS'  KAXCIIO. 

heard  him  speak,  would  have  supposed  that 
somebody  had  ordered  him  to  watch  the  cousins 
closely,  and  keep  them  out  of  trouble  ;  and  that 
he  had  found  the  task  an  exceedingly  difficult 
one  to  perform.  The  stranger  would  have  be 
lieved,  too,  that  he  was  very  angry ;  but  the 
boys  knew  that  the  fierce  scowl  he  had  assumed 
was  intended  to  conceal  a  very  different  feel 
ing — that  he  was  highly  elated  over  their  vic 
tory,  and  that,  before  a  week  had  passed,  he 
would  tell  it  to  every  body  in  the  settlement. 
They  knew,  also,  that  the  story  would  lose 
nothing  in  passing  through  his  hands ;  for,  al 
though  Dick  always  confined  himself  strictly 
to  the  truth  when  relating  his  own  adventures, 
he  did  not  hesitate  to  exaggerate  a  little  when 
recounting  the  exploits  of  his  "youngsters." 

"  I  would  n't  be  in  Uncle  Jeems's  boots  fur 
nothin',"  said  the  trapper,  filling  his  pipe  and 
looking  severely  at  Frank.  "He  promised 
your  folks,  afore  we  left  Lawn-iuv,  that  he 
would  keep  you  out  of  all  danger,  an'  bring 
you  safe  back  to  your  hum  ;  but  how  he  'a  a 
goin'  to  do  it  I  can't  tell.  I  would  n't  make 
no  sich  bargain  as  that  ar'  with  no  man,  'cause 


83 

I  could  n't  live  up  to  it.  What  's  the  matter 
with  you,  little  un?" 

"  I  've  got  a  broken  head,  and  a  lame  shoul 
der,  and  a  cracked  nose,  and  somehow  I  do  n't 
feel  all  right,"  replied  Archie. 

"  Do  n't !     Wai,  tell  us  all  about  it." 

The  trapper  settled  back  on  his  elbow  to 
listen,  and  Dick  Thomas,  who  was  a  smooth 
tongued  fellow,  related  the  story  of  their  ad 
ventures  from  beginning  to  end.  As  he  pro 
ceeded,  the  scowl  gradually  faded  from  the 
backwoodsman's  face ;  and  when  he  told  how 
Frank  had  stood  there  at  the  log,  and  risked 
his  life  to  secure  the  retreat  of  the  others,  Dick 
slapped  the  young  hero  on  the  back  so  heartily 
that  he  felt  the  effects  of  the  blow  for  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  afterward.  When  the  story  was 
finished,  he  unsheathed  his  long  bowie  and 
assisted  the  boys  in  removing  the  grizzly's 
skin ;  and  as  soon  as  this  had  been  done,  he 
placed  Archie  on  his  horse,  and  led  the  way 
toward  home. 

Their  morning's  work  had  sharpened  the 
boys'  appetites,  and  the  excellent  dinner  which 
the  housekeeper  served  up  for  them  rapidly 


84 

disappeared  before  their  attacks.  Even  Archie 
disposed  of  his  full  share  of  the  eatables,  and 
after  a  hearty  meal,  pushed  back  his  chair,  de 
claring  that  he  was  all  right,  and  ready  for  any 
thing  the  others  had  to  propose,  even  if  it  was 
a  fight  with  another  Old  Davy. 

When  the  grizzly's  skin  had  been  stretched 
upon  a  frame  to  dry,  the  boys  lounged  about 
the  house  for  an  hour  or  two,  talking  over  the 
incidents  of  the  morning ;  and  then  Johnny  and 
Dick  bade  the  cousins  good-by,  and  started  for 
home.  Archie  was  lonesome  and  restless  after 
they  had  gone.  While  Frank  sat  in  his  easy- 
chuir,  deeply  interested  in  some  favorite  author, 
Archie  lay  stretched  out  on  the  bed,  tossing  his 
heels  in  the  air,  and  scarcely  knowing  what  to 
do  with  himself.  His  lost  horse  was  still  up 
permost  in  his  mind,  and  he  wanted  to  talk 
about  him,  and  about  nothing  else.  There  was 
Frank,  as  serene  and  undisturbed  as  usual, 
poring  over  the  pages  of  some  dry  book,  when 
he  knew  that  the  steed  he  valued  so  highly 
was  within  five  miles  of  him !  Archie  did  not 
8ee  how  any  body  could  read  under  such  cir 
cumstances,  and  he  told  his  cousin  so.  He  did 


DON  CARLOS'  BANCELO.  85 

not  want  to  stay  in  the  house  either ;  and,  what 
was  more,  he  would  n't.  He  wanted  to  go 
somewhere,  and  do  something. 

"  Well,"  said  Frank,  laying  down  his  book, 
"  let 's  hear  what  you  have  to  propose.  I  ain 
quite  at  your  service." 

"  Suppose  we  beard  the  lion  in  his  den,"  said 
Archie. 

"  All  right.     Show  me  the  lion." 

"  O,  I  am  not  joking.  Let 's  visit  Don 
Carlos.  Mark  my  words  now,  Frank :  that 
old  rascal  knows  more  about  the  horse-thieves, 
than  any  body  else  in  the  country.  We  are  on 
pretty  good  terms  with  him,  and  perhaps  he 
will  invite  us  to  stay  all  night.  If  he  does, 
we  may  be  able  to  learn  something  about  the 
bridge  of  clouds,  and  the  other  strange  things 
old  Bob  saw  there.  Will  you  go?" 

"  Of  course.  But  1 711  tell  you  what  it  is : 
You  are  going  to  be  disappointed.  We  must 
not  let  Don  Carlos  know  that  we  suspect  any 
thing,  for  if  \ve  do,  we  may  get  ourselves  into 
trouble." 

"  I  guess  we  are  smart  enough  to  look  out  for 
that.  We  will  listen  to  his  stories,  and  hear 


86  BON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

him  rail  at  the  robbers,  and  lament  the  loss  of 
his  fine  horses,  and  all  that,  and  act  as  though 
we  believed  every  word  of  it.  We  must  n't  let 
Dick  know  where  we  are  going,"  added  Archie. 
"  He  would  be  sure  to  make  a  fuss  about  it,  for 
he  has  somehow  got  it  into  his  head  that  he  is 
our  guardian  in  uncle's  absence." 

One  would  think  that  the  cousins  had  already 
seen  enough  of  excitement  and  perilous  ad 
venture,  to  satisfy  any  two  boys  in  the  world; 
and  that,  after  their  recent  narrow  escape  from 
the  clutches  of  Old  Davy,  they  would  think 
twice  before  undertaking  so  dangerous  an  enter 
prise  as  this,  which  Archie  had  called  "  beard 
ing  the  lion  in  his  den."  The  way  they  went 
about  their  preparations,  however,  showed  that 
they  were  in  earnest,  and  that  they  were  fully 
determined  to  learn  more  about  the  mysterious 
rancho,  that  is,  if  there  was  any  thing  more  to 
be  learned.  Frank  did  not  think  there  was. 
Of  course  the  friendly  old  Spaniard  would  in 
sist  that  they  should  accept  his  hospitality  for 
the  night,  as  he  always  did  when  they  visited 
him.  They  had  passed  two  or  three  nights 
iitid.  r  his  roof,  without  seeing  or  hearing  any 


DON  CARLOS'  RANCUO.  87 

thing  unusual,  and  they  would  do  it  again.  As 
for  Don  Carlos'  complicity  with  the  horse- 
thieves,  that  was  all  in  Archie's  eye.  It  was 
only  another  of  the  thousand-and-one  foolish 
notions  he  was  continually  getting  into  his 
head,  and  when  morning  came  he  would  be 
obliged  to  acknowledge  the  fact.  Archie,  on 
the  other  hand,  had  made  up  his  mind  to  see 
some  queer  sights  during  the  night,  if  they  re 
mained  at  Don  Carlos'  rancho.  He  knew  that 
he  would  have  to  fight  somebody,  and  he  pre 
pared  for  it  by  putting  a  small  revolver  into 
his  pocket,  as  did  Frank,  also.  He  was  satis 
fied,  too,  that  Bob  had  seen  his  horse  go  into 
the  Spaniard's  rancho ;  and,  if  he  was  still 
there,  Archie  would  have  him  out,  or  he  would 
raise  a  fuss  about  the  old  fellow's  ears  that 
would  make  him  think  he  had  stirred  up  a 
hornet's  nest. 

"  Just  think  of  it!"  exclaimed  Archie,  in 
dignantly.  "  Our  horses  are  being  used  every 
night  by  those  robbers  !  O,  you  may  smile  and 
shake  your  head  as  much  as  you  please,  but  I 
know  it  is  so!"  Frank  thought  if  his  cousin's 
convictions  on  thin  point  were  as  strong  as  the 


88  DON  CARLOS'  EANCIIO. 

blow  he  struck  the  table  to  emphasize  his  words, 
they  must  have  been  very  powerful  indeed. 
"  Now,  I  can  tell  you  in  a  few  words  just  how 
this  matter  stands,"  continued  Archie,  "aiid  one 
of  these  days  you  will  see  that  I  am  right.  Tho 
robbers  make  their  head-quarters  at  that  ranch o, 
and  ride  Roderick  and  King  James  on  their 
plundering  expeditions.  They  know  that  the 
animals  are  swift,  and  that  if  they  are  discov 
ered  they  can  run  away  from  their  pursuers 
very  easily.  But -my  horse  shaVt  engage  in 
any  such  business.  He  is  a  good  honest  horse, 
and  I  am  not  going  to  have  him  taught  any 
bad  habits." 

In  a  few  minutes  the  boys  were  in  their  sad 
dles,  and  galloping  through  the  grove  toward 
the  creek.  They  carried  their  rifles  slung  over 
their  shoulders  by  broad  straps,  their  navy  re 
volvers  in  their  holsters,  and  their  small  pistols 
in  their  pockets.  They  rode  the  same  horses 
that  had  carried  them  through  the  fight  with 
the  grizzly,  Archie  remarking  that  although 
his  nag  was  not  much  of  a  jumper,  he  was  a 
good  one  to  go,  and  he  might  have  occasion  to 
use  a  fast  horse  before  morning.  They  sue- 


St) 

ceeded  in  leaving  the  rancho  without  the  trap 
per's  knowledge ;  and  in  half  an  hour  drew 
lein  on  the  bank  of  the  creek  a  short  distance 
from  Don  Carlos7  rancho. 

The  building  was  like  a  good  many  others 
in  that  country — there  was  nothing  remarkable 
about  it,  either  in  its  appearance  or  history. 
It  had  stood  a  siege,  and  there  were  plenty  of 
bullet-marks  about  it;  and  the  same  was  true 
of  the  rancho  in  which  Frank  and  Archie 
lived.  It  was  built  in  the  form  of  a  hollow- 
square  ;  the  rough  stone  walls  were  five  feet 
thick;  and  all  the  openings,  except  the  port 
holes,  were  protected  by  heavy  plank  doors  and 
shutters,  through  which  a  rifle-ball  could  not 
penetrate.  A  tall  flag-staff  arose  from  the  open 
court  in  the  center,  and  from  it  floated  the  Stars 
and  Stripes.  Don  Carlos  was  evidently  patriotic. 

The  boys  gazed  long  and  earnestly  at  the 
building,  and  Archie  was  a  good  deal  disap 
pointed  because  he  did  not  see  some  signs  of 
the  curious  things  the  old  trapper  had  witnessed 
there.  They  saw  something  else,  however,  at 
least  Frank  did,  and  he  called  Archie's  atten 
tion  to  it,  by  inquiring : 


90  DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

"Do  you  see  the  second  port-hole  from  tno 
right-hand  side  of  the  building?" 

"  I  do,"  replied  his  cousin;  "and  I  see  some 
thing  sticking  out  of  it.  It  looks  to  me  like  a 
spy-glass." 

"That 's  just  what  it  is.  There  is  somebody 
in  there  watching  us.  And  was  n't  that  flag 
flying  at  the  mast-head  when  we  first  saw  it?" 

"Of  course  it  was,"  answered  Archie,  begin 
ning  to  get  excited,  "  and  now  it  is  at  half- 
mast.  Now  it  is  being  hauled  down  altogether," 
he  added,  as  the  bunting  disappeared  behind 
the  walls  of  the  rancho.  "What  can  it  mean? 
It  must  be  a  signal  of  some  kind  ;  and  I —  I — 
believe  I  won't  go  any  farther.  I'll  return 
home  and  report  the  matter." 

"What  good  will  that  do?"  asked  Frank. 

"Why,  when  uncle  comes  back,  he  can  raise 
a  crowd  of  men,  and  storm  the  old  villain." 

"  I  do  n't  think  he  would  do  it.  He  would 
want  the  very  strongest  evidence  before  he  would 
consent  to  assault  a  peaceable  settler  in  his  own 
dwelling,  and  that  is  something  we  have  n't  got 
yet.  Of  course  we  can  say  that  we  saw  some 
body  watching  us  through  a  spy-glass,  and  that 


DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO.  91 

the  flag  was  hauled  down  when  we  came  iu 
sight ;  but  that  does  n't  prove  any  thing.  If 
we  should  go  home  with  that  story,  every  body 
would  laugh  at  us." 

"  It  is  proof  enough  for  me,"  said  Archie, 
"and  I  do  n't  care  about  trusting  myself  inside 
that  rancho.  I  believe  I  '11  go  back." 

"  And  I  will  go  on/'  said  his  cousin,  riding 
down  the  bank  toward  the  ford.  "  If  Don 
Carlos  asks  me  to  stay  all  night,  I  '11  do  it :  and 
I  shall  feel  as  safe  under  his  roof  as  I  would 
at  home." 

Archie  pulled  off  his  sombrero,  and  scratched 
his  head  in  deep  perplexity.  He  did  not  wairt 
to  go  home  without  Frank,  and  neither  did  he 
want  to  go  with  him  into  the  rancho.  The 
hauling  down  of  the  flag  had  made  him  timid. 
If  it  was  net  a  signal,  why  was  it  pulled  down 
at  that  tim  j  of  day — two  hours  before  sunset  ? 
If  he  had  never  been  satisfied  before  that  there 
was  something  wrong  with  Don  Carlos,  he  was 
now.  Beyond  a  doubt  he  was  connected  with 
the  robbers — he  was  their  leader,  perhaps — and 
when  he  and  Frank  went  into  the  rancho,  they 
wouli  find  themselves  surrounded  by  a  crowd 


92 

of  vil.ainous  Mexicans,  broken-down  miners, 
and  other  desperate  characters,  who  would  never 
allow  them  to  go  out  again.  Worse  than  all, 
they  could  not  hope  for  assistance,  for  they  had 
left  the  rancho  without  telling  any  one  where 
they  were  going;  and  when  their  absence  was 
discovered,  their  friends  would  not  know  where 
to  look  for  them. 

"  Frank/7  exclaimed  Archie,  "  are  you  really 
going  in  there?" 

"  I  am,  if  I  can  get  in,"  replied  his  cousin, 
"who  was  by  this  time  half  \vay  across  the  ford. 
"Come  on.  I  want  to  satisfy  you  that  you 
have  been  wrongfully  accusing  an  honest  man." 

"And  I'll  show  you  that  I  haven't,"  said 
Archie,  galloping  down  the  bank  of  the  creek, 
and  into  the  water.  "If  you  are  bound  to  go 
on,  of  course  I  shall  stick  to  you." 

While  the  boys  were  riding  toward  the  ran- 
eho  they  kept  their  eyes  fastened  on  the  port 
hole,  and  saw  that  the  person  with  the  spy-glass 
closely  followed  all  their  movements.  They 
discovered  nothing  else  that  looked  suspicious, 
however,  and  when  they  dashed  through  the 
gateway  and  drew  up  in  the  cuurt,  the  recep- 


DON  CARLOS'  EANCHO.  93 

lion  they  met  with,  from  the  proprietor  of  the 
rancho,  went  a  long  way  toward  convincing 
Archie  that  he  had  made  a  great  mistake. 

Don  Carlos  was  a  small,  slim  man,  with  a 
very  sallow  face,  a  long,  hooked  nose,  and  an 
immense  gray  mustache,  which  covered  all  the 
lower  part  of  his  face.  He  called  himself  a' 
Spaniard :  but  he  looked  more  like  a  German 
Jew,  and  talked  exactly  like  one.  He  was  as 
polite  as  a  Frenchman ;  and  when  the  boys 
rode  up  to  the  porch,  he  pulled  off  his  som 
brero,  and  stood  bowing  and  scraping  to  them 
until  they  dismounted  from  their  horses. 

"  Ach  !  here  ish  my  goot  leetle  poys ! "  lie 
exclaimed,  in  his  broken  English.  "I  peen  so 
glad  to  see  you.  You  shall  shtay  mit  me  now 
all  night,  of  course,  aint  it?  Peppo ! "  he  ad 
ded,  in  a  louJer  tone,  addressing  a  young  Mex 
ican  who  stood  at  a  little  distance,  looking  on — • 
"  you  von  grand  rascal !  dake  dis  horses  to  dem 
ehtables.  I  do  so  hope  dem  horse-dieves  won't 
shteal  'em  pefore  mornings.  Yalk  right  in  de 
house,  leetle  poys." 

"  The  more  I  see  of  this  old  fellow,  the  more 
I  am  convinced  that  he  is  a  Dutchman,"  thought 


94  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

Archie,  as  he  followed  Frank  and  the  Don  into 
the  rancho.  "  I  \Te  met  a  good  many  Spaniards 
since  I  have  been  in  California,  but  I  never 
heard  one  talk  like  that." 

Their  host  conducted  them  through  a  long 
wide  hall,  the  walls  of  which  were  ornamented 
with  old-fashioned  pictures  and  implements  of 
the  chase,  and  ushered  them  into  an  elegantly- 
furnished  room,  where  he  left  them  to  take  care 
of  themselves ;  telling  them  that  his  herdsmen 
were  out  collecting  a  drove  of  cattle  to  be  sent 
to  San  Diego,  and  that  it  was  necessary  that 
he  should  superintend  their  operations.  If  the 
boys  wanted  to  read,  there  were  plenty  of  books 
on  the  center-table ;  and  if  they  did  not  feel 
like  sitting  still,  they  might  walk  about  the 
rancho,  and  see  if  they  could  find  any  thing  to 
amuse  them.  Supper  would  be  ready  at  sunset ; 
he  would  then  be  back,  and  would  pass  the 
evening  with  them. 

"What  do  you  think  now,  Archie?"  asked 
Frank,  when  the  Don  had  gone  out.  "  Is  this 
the  sort  of  a  reception  a  robber  would  be  likely 
to  extend  to  visitors?  Do  you  suppose  that 
if  there  was  any  thing  wrong  here,  he  would 


DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO.  95 

have  allowed  us  the  freedom  of  the  house  so 
readily?" 

"He  does  that  merely  to  blind  us,"  replied 
his  cousin.  "He  is  more  polite  and  attentive 
than  he  used  to  be,  and  that  makes  me  suspi 
cious.  If  we  do  n't  wish  ourselves  a  thousand 
miles  from  here  before  morning,  I  will  make 
you  a  present  of  my  horse  when  I  get  him." 

Frank  recalled  these  words  a  few  hours  after 
ward,  and  told  himself  that  Archie  had  more 
sense  than  he  had  ever  given  him  credit  for. 


96  DON  CAliLOS*  RAXCHO. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A  HEAVY  REWARD. 

,  we  repeat,  was  obliged  to  come  over 
to  his  cousin's  way  of  thinking  before  he 
was  many  hours  older;  but  now  he  believed 
his  own  opinions  to  be  correct,  and  showed  his 
contempt  for  Archie's  by  settling  back  into  an 
arm-chair,  and  becoming  deeply  interested  in 
a  book  which  he  selected  from  among  the  nu 
merous  volumes  on  the  center-table.  Archie, 
being  left  to  himself,  walked  restlessly  about 
the  room,  looking  at  the  pictures,  gazing  out 
at  the  port-holes,  examining  the  weapons  that 
hung  on  the  walls,  and  so  interested  was  he  in 
his  investigations,  that  his  good-breeding  alone 
restrained  him  from  peering  into  closets  and 
wardrobes.  He  kept  up  an  incessant  talking, 
but  Frank's  answers  were  given  only  in  mono 
syllables,  and  Archie  finally  became  disgusted, 


A  HEAVY  REWARD.  97 

aiid  left  him  to  read  in  peace.  "You  \till 
turn  into  a  book  one  of  these  fine  days/'  said 
ne.  "  But  I  '11  tell  you  what  it  is,  old  fellow, 
you  '11  not  take  things  so  very  easily  much 
longer." 

Archie  continued  his  walk  about  the  room, 
passing  his  hands  over  the  walls,  looking  under 
the  bed,  and  behind  tables  and  sofas,  as  if 
searching  for  something  that  he  was  in  a  great 
hurry  to  find,  and  the  last  his  cousin  saw  of 
him  he  was  standing  with  his  hands  behind 
his  back,  and  his  head  turned  on  one  side, 
closely  examining  a  large  oil-painting  which 
extended  from  the  ceiling  to  the  floor.  The 
next  time  Frank  looked  up,  he  was  alone  in 
the  room — Archie  had  disappeared. 

"  What  trick  are  you  up  to  now  ?  "  exclaimed 
Frank,  laying  down  his  book.  "  Come  out 
from  under  that  bed.  What  would  you  have 
to  say  for  yourself  if  the  Don  should  come  in 
and  find  you  there?" 

But  Archie  was  not  under  the  bed,  nor  was 

he  anywhere  in  the  room.     Frank  called  him, 

but  there  was  no  answer.     He  looked  into  every 

nook  and  corner  of  the  apartment  in  which  it 

7 


98  BOX  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

was  possible  that  Archie  could  have  concealed 
himself,  and  then  he  caught  up  his  hat  and 
hurried  through  the  hall,  looking  into  all  the 
rooms  he  passed,  and  out  into  the  court.  The 
rancho  seemed  to  be  deserted,  with  the  excep 
tion  of  a  solitary  Mexican,  who  stood  leaning 
against  a  door-post  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
court.  Tli  is  man  scowled  fiercely,  and  looked 
suspiciously  at  him  as  he  came  up ;  and  instead 
of  making  inquiries  about  Archie,  as  he  had 
intended,  Frank  thrust  his  hands  into  his  pock 
ets,  and  strolled  slowly  toward  the  stables, 
peering  in  at  the  doors  and  windows,  and 
keeping  one  eye  on  the  Mexican,  who  closely 
watched  every  move  he  made. 

"  Archie  has  n't  had  time  to  get  far  away," 
thought  Frank;  "and  no  doubt  he  is  roaming 
about  the  rancho,  searching  high  and  low  for 
some  evidence  to  confirm  his  ridiculous  suspi 
cions  concerning  Don  Carlos;  and  that  ia 
something  he  won't  find,  of  course.  That  is  a 
villainous-looking  fellow,"  he  added,  with  an 
other  glance  over  his  shoulder  toward  the 
Mexican,  "  and  I  should  feel  quite  as  well 
pleased  if  he  would  take  less  interest  in  my 


A  HEAVY  REWAKD.  99 

Picvements.     He  acts  as  thougli  he  bad  been 
stationed  there  to  watch  me." 

Frank  finally  found  his  way  to  the  stables, 
but  without  discovering  any  signs  of  the  miss 
ing  Archie.  He  found  his  horse  there,  and  his 
cousin's,  standing  quietly  in  their  stalls;  and 
he  also  saw  several  other  fine  animals,  which 
the  Don  had  doubtless  brought  in  there  for 
protection  from  the  horse-thieves.  Frank  did 
not  think  it  very  probable  that  he  would  lose 
any  more  of  his  stock,  for  the  most  expert 
robber  would  have  found  it  a  difficult  task  to 
effect  an  entrance  through  those  well-secured 
doors;  and,  more  than  that,  Frank  noticed  that 
there  were  several  beds  in  a  small  room  ad 
joining  the  stable,  and  the  garments,  lassos, 
weapons,  and  other  articles  that  were  scattered 
about,  showed  that  the  apartment  belonged  to 
some  of  the  Don's  Rancheros.  The  old  Span 
iard  was  not  out  on  the  rancho  with  his  herds 
men,  as  Frank  had  supposed,  but  he  was  in 
this  room,  holding  an  earnest  conversation  with 
some  one  who  disappeared  very  suddenly  and 
mysteriously  when  Frank  thrust  his  head  in  at 
the  door.  The  latter  tkrnght,  by  his  actions, 


100  DON  CARLOS1  RAXCIIO. 

that  the  old  Spaniard  would  rather  not  ha\o 
been  discovered ;  but  he  greeted  his  guest  very 
cordially,  and  seeing  that  he  was  alone,  made 
hurried  inquiries  for  Archie. 

"  He  is  out  somewhere  looking  around,  I 
suppose,"  answered  Frank.  "  No  doubt  he  will 
turn  up  all  right  in  a  few  minutes." 

"  Ah,  yes,"  said  the  Don,  with  some  anxiety 
in  his  tone ;  "  but  I  would  like  to  know  vare 
he  ish.  Peppo  !  you  von  grand  rascal ! " 

The  young  Mexican  was  on  hand  immedi 
ately.  He  came  out  of  a  dark  corner  of  the 
stable,  to  which  he  had  retreated  when  Frank 
came  in,  and  where  he  had  stood  watching 
him. 

"  Peppo  !  "  continued  his  employer,  "  it 's 
petter  you  go  find  dis  leetle  poys,  and  tell  him 
we  will  have  some  suppers  now." 

There  was  nothing  in  the  old  Spaniard's 
words  or  manner  to  indicate  that  haste  was  de 
sirable,  but  Beppo,  perhaps,  seeing  or  hearing 
something  that  escaped  Frank's  notice,  started 
off  on  a  keen  run.  This  seemed  to  be  a  signal 
to  the  Mexican  who  stood  leaning  against  the 
door-post,  for  he  walked  rapidly  across  the 


A  HEAVY  RETVARIV  101- 

court,  and  presently  half  a  dozen  Raneheros 
appeared  and  hurried  about  in  different  direc 
tions,  aL  searching  for  Archie.  The  Don 
watched  their  movements,  and  so  did  Frank. 
The  former  was  evidently  growing  uneasy,  and 
his  guest  certainly  was.  The  Spaniard  stepped 
nervously  about,  talking  hurriedly  in  his  broken 
English  on  indifferent  matters,  and  laughing 
uproariously  at  his  own  jokes;  and  Frank 
glanced  toward  the  gate-way  as  if  he  had  half 
a  mind  to  take  to  his  heels.  He  believed,  now, 
that  it  would  have  been  much  better  for  him 
if  he  had  kept  at  a  respectful  distance  from 
Don  Carlos  and  his  rancho.  A  dread  of  im 
pending  evil,  which  he  could  not  shake  off, 
began  to  press  upon  him;  and  it  was  plain  to 
him  that  if  he  was  not  in  a  scrape  already,  he 
soon  would  be.  It  is  true  that  nothing  had 
been  said  to  induce  this  belief,  but  he  had  seen 
and  felt  enough  to  satisfy  him  that  such  was 
the  fact.  In  the  first  place,  it  seemed  to  him 
that  an  air  of  mystery  brooded  over  the  rancho, 
and  that  the  Don,  in  spite  of  his  cordial  greet 
ing  and  jovial  manner,  was  trying  to  conceal 
something  from  him.  He  acted,  now,  as  though 


102  i>c  x  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

he  did  not  want  him  there.  And  then,  the 
8 addon  appearance  of  those  men  was  another 
tiling  that  troubled  Frank.  Until  within  a 
moment  he  had  seen  but  two  persons  on  the 
rancho  besides  the  Spaniard,  but,  at  an  in 
stant's  warning,  half  a  dozen  herdsmen  had 
sprung  into  view,  and  to  save  his  life  he  could 
not  tell  where  they  had  come  from.  They 
appeared  at  the  same  moment,  and  in  different 
directions,  as  if  they  had  come  up  out  of  the 
ground,  or  found  their  way  into  the  court 
through  secret  trap-doors  in  the  pavement. 
Why  had  they  remained  concealed?  and  what 
was  the  reason  that  Archie's  disappearance  had 
created  such  a  commotion  among  them  ?  Frank 
judged  from  the  old  Spaniard's  words  that  he 
was  particularly  anxious  to  know  where  Archie 
was,  and  what  he  was  doing;  and  this  implied 
that  there  were  things  about  the  rancho  that 
the  Don  did  not  want  him  to  see. 

Frank's  uneasiness  increased  as  the  search 
progressed,  and  finally  he  became  thoroughly 
frightened  when  he  noticed  the  excited  look? 
of  the  Rancheros  as  they  hurried  past  him, 
and  heaul  the  angry,  threatening  words  which 


A  HEAVY  REWARD.  103 

they  exchanged  with  one  another.  The  Don 
began  to  be  alarmed  also. 

"  Veil !  veil ! "  he  exclaimed,  looking  back 
into  the  stable  for  the  twentieth  time,  to  assure 
himself  that  Archie's  horse  was  still  there, 
"  vare  ish  dis  leetle  poys  ?  " 

"  He  may  have  gone  out,"  replied  Frank, 
with  as  much  indifference  as  he  could  com 
mand.  "  I  '11  step  to  the  gate  and  look  for 
him."  "And  when  I  get  there/'  he  added, 
mentally,  "  I  won't  stop.  I  '11  show  you  Greas 
ers  some  running  that  will  make  you  wonder. 
You  may  be  all  right  in  here,  but  I  do  n't  like 
your  company." 

Frank  had  great  confidence  in  himself,  and 
he  was  certain  that  if  he  could  only  get  half 
way  to  the  gate,  he  could  elude  any  attempts 
that  might  be  made  to  detain  him.  He  had 
not  the  remotest  idea,  however,  that  any  such 
attempts  would  be  made.  That  would  be  a 
heinous  offense  in  the  eyes  of  the  settlers,  who 
would  never  allow  it  to  pass  unnoticed.  Frank 
turned  to  leave  the  Don,  but  the  latter  stepped 
forward  and  laid  a  heavy  hand  on  his  arm.  "  I 
guess  it 's  petter  you  do  n't  go,"  said  he. 


101  DON  CABLOS*  HANCJIO. 

Frank  was  thunderstruck.  The  old  Span 
iard's  tone  and  manner  showed  him  that  he  was 
in  earnest,  and  he  knew  now  that  Archie's 
suspicions  were  correct,  and  that  he  himself 
had  been  sadly  mistaken  in  the  opinions  he 
had  formed  regarding  his  host.  If  he  had 
been  allowed  his  choice  in  the  matter,  he  would 
much  rather  have  been  standing  in  front  of 
that  log,  awaiting  the  onset  of  another  Old 
Davy.  He  would  have  felt  more  certain  of 
escape  than  he  did  now,  surrounded  as  he  was 
by  those  villainous  Mexicans.  A  wonderful 
change  had  come  over  Don  Carlos.  His  jovial, 
good-natured  smile  had  given  way  to  a  terrible 
scowl,  and  his  face  was  pale  with  rage  or  fear; 
Frank  could  not  tell  which.  "With  the  next 
words  he  uttered,  he  threw  off  the  mask  en 
tirely,  and  appeared  in  his  true  character. 

"  This  is  von  grand  shwindle,"  he  exclaimed, 
making  a  sudden  effort  to  seize  Frank  by  the 
collar.  "  I  know  now  why  you  come  here  to 
mine  house.  Hi,  Bedro !  make  dat  gate  shut. 
It's  petter  yju  don't  go,  leetle  poys." 

"It  is  better  I  do  go/'  replied  Frank,  quick 
ly.  "  I  want  you  to  understand  that  it  wilJ 


A  HEAVY  EEWAED.  105 

take  a  man  with   more  muscle  than  you  have 
got  to  detain  me." 

During  the  next  two  minutes  the  Don  learned 
more  of  the  qualities  that  go  to  make  up  a  six 
teen-year-old  Young  America,  than  he  had  ever 
known  before.  Frank  was  as  quick  as  a  cat  in 
his  movements,  and  he  knew  that  if  he  hoped 
to  escape  from  the  rancho  now  was  his  time  or 
never.  Pedro  was  already  hurrying  toward  the 
gate,  to  execute  the  commands  of  his  employer, 
and  if  that  gate  was  once  closed  on  him,  he 
was  a  prisoner.  While  the  Old  Spaniard  was 
speaking,  he  thrust  out  his  arm ;  but  his  fin 
gers,  instead  of  fastening  upon  Frank's  collar, 
closed  only  upon  the  empty  air.  An  instant 
afterward  the  boy  was  half  way  across  the  court, 
and  he  and  Pedro  were  having  a  lively  race  for 
the  gate ;  while  the  Don  stood  watching  them, 
his  body  bent  forward,  and  his  mouth  and  eyes 
open  to  their  widest  extent.  He  could  not  un 
derstand  how  Frank  had  escaped.  The  ease 
with  which  he  had  slipped  out  of  his  clutches 
bewildered  him.  But  his  inactivity  did  not 
long  continue,  for  he  speedily  became  aware 
that  the  clumsy  Pedro  was  no  match,  in  a 


106  BOX  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

hurried,  off-hand  foot-race,  for  the  nimble  young 
hunter. 

"  Pli !  lii!"  he  yelled,  stamping  his  foot 
frantically  on  the  pavement;  a  catch  him! 
catch  him!  Vat  you  making  derc,  Bcdro? 
Von  dousand  tollars  to  de  mans  vot  catches 
dat  leetle  poys !  Two!  dree!  five  dousand!" 
he  added,  in  a  still  louder  tone,  seeing  that 
Frank  was  rapidly  leaving  Pedro  behind,  and 
nearing  the  gate.  "  Ach  !  mine  heavens!  Ten 
dousand  !  " 

The  fugitive  heard  every  word  he  said,  and  his 
wonder,  astonishment,  and  alarm  increased  pro 
portionately  with  the  rewards  the  Spaniard  of 
fered  for  his  capture;  and  how  intense  must  have 
been  his  amazement  and  terror  when  he  heard  the 
Don  declare  in  frantic  tones  that  he  would  give 
twenty,  forty,  and  finally,  fifty  thousand  dollars, 
if  he  was  captured  alive  and  unharmed. 

"  It  is  some  consolation  to  know  that  he 
doesn't  mean  to  kill  me,"  thought  Frank.  "I 
do  n't  intend  to  let  him  take  me  prisoner,  eirhcr. 
The  offer  of  every  cent  he  is  worth,  could  not 
make  those  awkward  Mexicans  run  fast  enough 
to  beat  me  in  a  fair  race." 


A  HEAVY  KEWARD.  107 

If  Frank  had  run  swiftly  before,  his  head 
way  was  fairly  astonishing  now.  He  exerted 
himself  to  the  utmost,  and  flew  over  the  ground 
nt  a  rate  of  speed  that  the  fleet-footed  Dick 
Lewis  himself  would  not  have  been  ashamed  of. 
A  few  leaps  brought  him  to  the  gate,  through 
which  he  went  like  an  arrow  from  a  bow,  and 
bent  his  steps  toward  the  nearest  patch  of 
woods,  which  was  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
distant.  The  Kancheros  followed  him,  but 
they  might  as  well  have  tried  to  overtake  a 
railway  train,  or  a  bird  on  the  wing. 

Don  Carlos  was  almost  beside  himself.  He 
stood  in  the  gate-way  gazing  after  the  fugitive, 
flourishing  his  arms  wildly  about  his  head, 
shouting  orders  to  his  men  in  Spanish  and 
English,  and  calling  upon  Frank  to  stop  and 
surrender  himself  a  prisoner,  or  he  would  do 
something  terrible  to  him. 

"I  think  it  would  be  a  good  plan  to  catch 
me  first,"  said  Frank,  to  himself,  looking  back 
at  his  pursuers.  "  I  am  like  Dick  Lewis  now : 
my  enemies  are  all  behind  me,  and  I  know  I 
urn  safe.  Hall  5 !  What 'a  that  ?  " 

It  was  a  bullet,  which  whistled  through  the 


108  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

air  most  uncomfortably  near  his  head.  An 
other  followed  close  after,  and  plowed  up  the 
ground  in  front  of  him,  and  then  came  the 
crack  of  two  rifles  in  quick  succession.  Frank 
felt  the  cold  chills  creeping  all  over  him ;  and 
the  next  time  he  looked  back  he  discovered 
eeveral  men,  whom  he  had  not  seen  before, 
hurrying  out  of  the  rancho  with  their  weapons 
in  their  hands,  followed  by  three  on  horseback. 
This  was  a  most  discouraging  prospect.  He 
did  not  stand  in  much  fear  of  the  bullets  (al 
though  it  was  by  no  means  pleasant  to  hear 
them  whistling  around  him),  but  he  was  afraid 
of  those  mounted  men.  He  could  not  hope  to 
distance  them,  and  he  trembled  when  he  thought 
of  the  fate  in  store  for  him  when  they  came 
near  enough  to  reach  him  with  their  lassos. 
If  they  did  not  choke  him  to  death,  they  would 
take  him  back  to  the  rancho  a  prisoner,  and 
that  would  be  almost  as  bad.  Of  course  he 
did  not  intend  that  they  should  do  either  if  he 
could  prevent  it.  He  was  armed,  and  if  they 
succeeded  in  overtaking  him,  he  would  show 
them  how  he  could  use  a  revolver. 

Frank  had  accomplished  more  than  half  the 


A  HEAVY  KEWAKD.  109 

distance  that  lay  between  him  and  the  woods 
before  the  horsemen  came  out;  and  he  hoped 
to  be  able  to  reach  its  friendly  shelter  before 
they  could  come  up  with  him.  He  did  it,  too, 
although  his  escape  was  a  very  narrow  one. 
As  he  dashed  into  the  bushes  he  heard  the  las 
sos  whistling  through  the  air  behind  him,  and 
he  even  felt  the  "  wind  "  of  one  as  it  flew  past 
his  ear.  But  once  fairly  in  the  woods  he  was 
safe  from  those  dreaded  weapons.  The  Ean- 
cheros  could  not  use  their  lariats  among  the 
trees,  and  neither  did  they  attempt  to  follow 
him  farther.  They  fired  their  pistols  at  him, 
and  then  began  circling  around  the  woods  to 
cut  him  off  from  the  creek,  and  place  themselves 
between  him  and  his  home. 

Frank  kept  straight  on  into  the  woods  for 
at  least  two  miles,  without  once  slackening  his 
speed,  and  then  turned  and  ran  toward  the 
creek.  "When  he  came  within  sight  of  it,  he 
sat  down  on  a  log  to  recover  his  breath,  and  to 
listen  for  the  sounds  of  pursuit. 

"  I  thank  my  lucky  stars  that  they  are  all 
Mexicans,"  panted  he,  glancing  suspiciously 
through  the  bushes  on  all  sides  of  him.  "  If 


110  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

there  had  been  a  few  such  rifle-shots  among 
them  as  Dick  Lewis  and  old  Bob  Kelly  1  should 
not  be  here  now.  Fifty  thousand  dollars!  I 
little  dreamed  that  I  should  ever  have  a  price 
set  upon  my  head." 

For  ten  minutes  Frank  sat  on  the  log,  rest 
ing  after  his  long  run,  and  thinking  over  the 
incidents  that  had  transpired  at  the  rancho. 
He  believed  now  that  Don  Carlos  was  one  of 
the  robbers;  the  evidence  against  him  was 
strong  enough  to  satisfy  any  one  of  his  guilt. 
The  air  of  mystery  with  which  every  thing  was 
conducted ;  the  unusual  number  of  men  on  the 
rancho  ;  the  magical  manner  in  which  they  had 
appeared  the  instant  their  services  were  needed  ; 
the  Spaniard's  unreasonable  alarm  at  Archie's 
absence;  and  his  attempts  to  detain  Frank — 
all  these  things  were  against  him.  Frank  un 
derstood  now  what  the  Don  meant  when  he  said 
that  he  knew  why  the  boys  had  come  there. 
He  probably  mistrusted  that  the  settlers  were 
suspicious  of  him,  and  had  sent  Frank  and 
Archie  to  his  rancho  to  spy  out  something.  If 
that  was  his  idea,  Frank  thought  it  a  very 
ridiculous  one;  for  he  might  have  known  that 


A  HEAVY  REWARD.  Ill 

two  boys  would  not  have  been  selected  to  carry 
out  so  dangerous  an  enterprise,  while  there  were 
such  men  as  Dick  and  Bob  in  the  country. 
His  guilty  conscience  made  him  betray  him 
self — that  was  the  secret  of  the  matter. 

Frank  was  not  yet  safe  by  any  means.  He 
knew  that  Don  Carlos  and  his  men  would 
leave  no  stone  unturned  to  effect  his  capture — 
it  would  be  dangerous  to  them  to  allow  him  to 
go  home  after  what  had  transpired  at  the  ran- 
cho — and  that  they  would  search  every  nook 
and  corner  of  the  mountains,  and  hunt  him 
down  as  they  would  a  wolf.  Still  he  had  no 
fears  for  his  own  safety;  but,  now  that  the  ex 
citement  of  the  race  was  over,  he  was  deeply 
concerned  about  his  cousin.  There  was  a  mys 
tery  attending  his  disappearance  that  he  could 
not  fathom.  He  hoped  that  Archie  had  left 
the  room  while  he  was  reading,  and  that  he 
had  slipped  out  of  the  rancho  and  gone  home. 
That  was  not  much  like  his  cousin's  way  of 
doing  business,  but  it  was  the  only  reasonable 
way  in  which  he  could  explain  his  absence. 

"  That  boy  could  not  long  exist  witr  out  get 
ting  into  some  sort  of  a  scrape,"  said  Frank; 


112  DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

"and  if  I  ever  put  eyes  on  him  again,  I 'L 
watch  him  more  closely  than  I  have  done  here 
tofore." 

"  Stand  where  you  are ;  do  n't  move  hand  or 
foot/'  said  a  gruff  voice,  breaking  in  upon  his 
reverie. 

Frank  sprang  up,  and  found  himself  face  to 
face  with  a  Ranchero,  who  stood  holding  his 
rifle  to  his  shoulder,  with  his  finger  resting  on 
the  trigger. 


ARCHIE  LEARNS  SOMETHING.  113 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

ARCHIE  LEARNS  SOMETHING. 

IF  Don  Carlos  had  only  known  where  his  miss- 
ing  guest  was  all  this  while,  and  what  he  was 
doing,  and  what  he  was  seeing,  he  would  have 
had  good  cause  for  alarm.  Archie  was  not  at 
home,  as  Frank  fondly  hoped,  nor  was  he  out 
side  the  ranch o.  He  was  in  a  worse  predica 
ment  than  he  had  ever  been  in  before,  and  was 
learning  some  things  about  Don  Carlos  and  his 
house  that  greatly  astonished  him. 

We  said  that  the  last  time  Frank  saw  him, 
he  was  standing  before  a  large  oil-painting  in 
the  room  where  the  Spaniard  had  left  them. 
It  was  a  life-size  picture  of  an  Indian  warrior; 
and  so  well  was  it  executed  that,  as  Archie 
stood  looking  at  it,  he  almost  expected  to  see 
the  savage  open  his  lips  to  give  the  war- 
whoop,  and  then  draw  the  bow  which  he  car- 
8 


HI 

ried  in  his  hand,  and  discharge  an  arrow  at 
him. 

"The  man  who  painted  that  was  an  artist, 
and  understood  his  business/'  said  Archie,  to 
himself.  "  I  have  seen  lots  of  those  fellows, 
and  that's  just  the  way  they  look." 

Something  in  the  picture,  which  he  had  not 
before  noticed,  caught  his  eye  at  this  moment, 
and  interrupted  the  thread  of  his  soliloquy, 
The  handle  of  the  warrior's  hunting-knife, 
which  he  wore  in  his  belt,  was  rounded  off  into 
a  knob  at  the  end,  and  Archie  was  sure  that  it 
stood  out  a  little  way  from  the  canvas.  He 
leaned  forward  and  looked  at  it  more  closely, 
and  sure  enough  it  was  a  wooden  button,  which 
fitted  into  the  end  of  the  handle  of  the  knife, 
and  not  a  painted  one.  He  stepped  up  and 
examined  it  with  his  fingers,  and  to  his  sur 
prise  it  yielded  to  his  touch. 

"Now  I'd  like  to  know  what  this  means," 
thought  he,  pressing  the  knob  harder  than 
before.  "This  thing  must  be  attached  to  a 
spring,  because  it  comes  back  when  I  let  go  of 
it.  Well — by — gracious ! " 

It  was  very  seldom  indeed  that  Archie  used 


ARCHIE  LEARNS  SOMETHING.  115 

any  slang  words,  but  sometimes,  when  lie  was 
greatly  excited  or  astonished,  he  did  like  other 
boys — forgot  all  the  good  resolutions  he  had 
made  regarding  this  bad  habit.  It  was  no  wonder 
that  he  was  amazed  now,  for  the  painting  be 
gan  to  move  as  if  it  had  been  suddenly  endowed 
with  life.  It  opened  before  him  like  a  door, 
swinging  swiftly  back  on  a  pair  of  invisible 
hinges,  and  revealing  a  narrow,  winding  stair 
way  which  seemed  to  run  down  into  a  cellar 
beneath  the  outer  wall.  Archie  stood  like  a 
wooden  boy  for  a  few  seconds,  his  neck  out 
stretched,  his  eyes  dilating  and  trying  to  pierce 
through  the  thick  darkness  which  enveloped 
the  stairs,  and  then,  scarcely  knowing  what  he 
was  about,  he  stepped  cautiously  into  the  pas 
sage.  An  instant  afterward  he  would  have  given 
every  thing  he  possessed,  or  ever  expected  to 
possess,  if  he  had  been  a  little  more  prudent ; 
but  then  it  wras  too  late.  The  painting  swung 
back  to  its  place  as  swiftly  and  noiselessly  as 
it  had  opened,  and  the  smooth  click  of  a  spring- 
lock  told  Archie  that  he  was  a  prisoner.  He 
did  not  intend  to  remain  one  long,  however. 
He  understood  the  mystery  of  that  secret  door. 


116      DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

and  it  would  not  be  many  seconds  before  he 
would  get  out  again.  Perhaps  Frank  would 
now  be  willing  to  look  up  from  his  book  long 
enough  to  hear  him  tell  of  this  wonderful  dis 
covery  he  had  made ;  and  perhaps,  too,  he 
would  be  ready  to  believe  that  he  had  some 
foundation  for  his  suspicions. 

Talking  thus  to  himself,  Archie  groped  his 
way  back  to  the  painting  (for  now  that  the 
opening  was  closed  the  passage  was  as  dark  as 
midnight),  and  began  to  pass  his  hands  over  it, 
searching  hurriedly  for  the  concealed  spring. 
He  now  found  that  the  back  of  the  picture 
was  formed  of  heavy  oak  planks,  nearly  a  foot 
in  thickness ;  or,  to  make  the  matter  clearer, 
the  whole  contrivance  was  simply  a  ponderous 
door,  with  the  painting  spread  over  one  side 
of  it. to  conceal  it.  But  where  was  the  spring? 
Archie  ran  his  fingers  over  every  inch  of  the 
door,  from  top  to  bottom,  but  could  not  find 
it.  He  examined  every  one  of  the  plauks 
separately,  and  finally  turned  his  attention  to 
the  huge  blocks  of  stone  which  formed  the 
walls,  in  the  hope  that  he  might  find  the  spring 
imbedded  in  one  of  them.  Five  minutes  — ten 


ARCHIE  LEARNS  SOMETHING.  117 

minutes — a  quarter  of  an  hour  weie  passed  in 
this  way,  and  then  Archie  sank  down  upon  the 
floor,  all  in  a  heap,  panting  and  sweating  as 
though  he  had  been  engaged  in  the  most  vio 
lent  exercise.  His  face  was  very  pale,  his 
hands  trembled  as  though  he  were  suffering 
from  an  attack  of  the  ague,  and  one  to  have 
seen  him  at  that  moment  would  have  believed 
that  he  was  almost  overcome  with  fear.  His 
words,  however,  did  not  indicate  the  fact. 

"  Now  here  's  fun,"  said  he,  with  a  desperate 
attempt  to  keep  up  his  courage  ;  "  here  's  sport 
— here  ?s  joy  by  the  wagon-load.  I  am  cornered 
easy  enough,  and  it  serves  me  just  right  for 
prying  about  where  I  had  no  business.  What 
will  the  Don  say  when  he  comes  back  and  finds 
me  gone  ?" 

As  this  thought  passed  through  Archie's 
mind,  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  the  cold  perspira 
tion  starting  out  anew  from  every  pore  in  his 
body,  and  his  heart  beating  fast  and  furiously. 
AVhiit  would  the  old  Spaniard  think  when  he 
found  that  one  of  his  guests  was  missing,  and, 
above  all,  what  would  he  do?  If  he  was  an 
innocent  man,  and  Archie's  suspicious  regard- 


118  DON  CARLOS'  RANCH o. 

ing  him  were  without  any  foundation,  he  would 
hunt  him  up  and  release  him ;  there  would  bo 
a  hearty  laugh  all  around ;  and  the  Don  would 
have  a  long  story  to  tell  about  the  passage-way, 
the  reasons  why  he  had  built  it,  and  the  use 
he  had  made  of  it.  But  suppose  that  Archie's 
suspicions  were  correct — that  Don  Carlos  was 
really  one  of  the  robbers,  and  that  the  passage 
led  to  some  underground  cavern  where  he  and 
his  men  concealed  their  plunder — what  would 
he  do  when  he  found  that  his  secret  had  been 
discovered?  Archie  did  not  stop  to  answer 
this  question,  but  once  more  searched  all  over 
the  door  for  the  spring;  but  with  no  better 
success  than  before.  Then  he  pounded  upon 
the  door,  and  called  his  cousin  ;  but  the  walls 
were  thick,  and  the  sound  of  his  voice  did  not 
reach  Frank,  who  read  on  in  blissful  ignorance 
of  what  was  transpiring  on  the  other  side  of  the 
painting. 

"lie  must  have  gone  out,"  said  Archie,  now 
beginning  to  be  thoroughly  alarmed,  "and  I  am 
left  to  my  own  resources,  which  are  scarce,  I 
can  tell  you.  What  if  one  of  the  band  should 
come  up  here  with  a  light?" 


AECIIIE  LEARNS  SOMETHING.  119 

Archie  pulled  his  revolver  from  his  pocket, 
i'aced  about,  and  peered  through  the  darkness 
in  the  direction  of  the  stairs,  listening  intently, 
and  almost  imagining  that  he  heard  light  foot 
steps  approaching.  But  he  was  alone  in  the 
passage-way,  and  having  satisfied  himself  on 
this  point,  he  leaned  against  the  wall  to  think 
over  the  situation,  and  determine  upon  some 
course  of  action. 

"It  would  be  awkward  to  be  caught  here — 
for  the  robber,  I  mean,  for  it  is  my  opinion 
that  he  would  go  down  those  stairs  with  much 
greater  haste  than  he  came  up.  Of  course 
there  must  be  two  ends  to  this  passage,  and  as 
I  can  not  get  out  here,  I  must  try  some  other 
way  of  escape.  I  can't  be  in  a  much  worse  fix 
than  I  am  now." 

As  Archie  said  this,  he  put  his  revolver  into 
his  pocket  again,  and  began  feeling  his  way 
along  the  wall  toward  the  stairs.  It  was  a 
dangerous  undertaking,  for  the  floor  might  be 
full  of  trap-doors,  for  all  he  knew,  and  one  of 
them  might  open  beneath  his  feet  at  any  mo 
ment,  and  let  him  down  into  some  dungeon  ; 
or,  he  might  run  uguiust  one  of  the  robbers  iu 


120  DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

the  darkness,  who  would  slip  a  lasso  around 
his  neck,  and  make  a  prisoner  of  him  before 
lie  could  raise  an  arm  to  defend  himself.  He 
reached  the  head  of  the  stairs,  however,  with 
out  any  such  misfortune,  and  slowly  and  cau 
tiously  felt  his  way  to  the  bottom.  There  he 
found  himself  in  a  passage-way  which  ran  at 
right  angles  with  the  one  above.  After  a  mo 
ment's  deliberation,  he  decided  that  if  he  fol 
lowed  it  to  the  left  it  would  lead  him  under 
the  court  (through  which  Frank  was,  at  that 
very  moment,  running  a  race  with  Pedro  for 
the  gate),  and  that  was  the  way  Archie  did  not 
want  to  go.  By  turning  to  the  right,  if  the 
passage  ran  far  enough  in  that  direction,  he 
would  reach  the  bank  of  the  creek,  and  there 
he  might  find  some  way  of  escape.  Having 
decided  this  point,  he  was  about  to  move  on 
again,  when  he  was  frightened  nearly  out  of 
his  senses  by  hearing  a  whisper  close  at  his 
elbow : 

"  Beppo,  is  this  you?" 

The  fight  for  which  Archie  had  been  bracing 
liif  nerves  ever  since  he  first  made  up  his  mind 
to  visit  Don  Carlos'  rancho,  was  to  come  off 


ARCHIE  LEARNS  SOMETHING.  121 

now — he  was  sure  of  that.  He  was  much 
calmer  than  he  had  thought  he  could  be  under 
such  circumstances,  but  still  he  trembled  vio 
lently  in  every  limb  as  he  drew  his  revolver, 
and  thrust  it  straight  out  before  him  in  the 
direction  from  which  the  voice  came.  A  person 
thinks  rapidly  when  in  danger,  and  during 
the  moment's  pause  that  followed  the  question 
thus  unexpectedly  propounded  to  him,  Archie 
thought  over  and  rejected  a  dozen  wild  schemes 
which  suggested  themselves  to  him.  One,  how 
ever,  he  accepted.  He  would  reveal  himself  to 
the  man,  and  if  the  latter  would  agree  to  show 
him  the  way  above  ground,  it  would  be  all 
right ;  he  would  then  be  willing  to  believe  that 
Don  Carlos  was  an  honest  man,  and  that  there 
was  nothing  wrong  about  him  or  his  rancho. 
But  if  the  man  made  an  outcry,  and  began 
shouting  for  help,  or  tried  to  secure  h*m,  he 
would  give  him  some  idea  of  American  pluck 
and  muscle. 

"  Beppo,  is  that  you  ?"  asked  the  voice  again, 
in  the  same  cautious  whisper.  Then,  before 
Archie  had  time  to  act  on  the  resolution  he  had 
just  formed,  the  man,  whoever  he  was,  contiii- 


122  DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

ued :  "  here  are  the  keys.  We  shall  be  ready 
in  half  an  hour.  Follow  this  gang-way,  and 
enter  the  first  door  on  your  left.  Be  sure  and 
lock  the  door  after  you,  because  there 's  always 
somebody  roaming  about  here,  and  you  might 
be  discovered.  Do  your  work  well,  now,  and 
the  revolver  is  yours." 

A  moment  afterward  Archie  stood  holding  a 
bunch  of  keys  in  his  hand,  and  listening  with 
beating  heart  to  the  retreating  footsteps  of  the 
man,  who  was  hurrying  toward  the  other  end 
of  the  passage.  He  had  never  been  more  ex 
cited  and  alarmed  in  his  life.  If  the  man  had 
brought  a  lantern  with  him,  the  fight  he  had 
been  expecting  would  certainly  have  come  off. 

When  the  sound  of  the  footsteps  had  died 
away,  Archie  drew  a  long  breath  of  relief,  and 
began  to  congratulate  himself  on  his  escape, 
and  to  repeat  what  the  man  had  said  to  him. 
Two  things  were  evident :  one  was  that  he  had 
been  mistaken  for  Beppo,  a  Mexican  boy  about 
his  own  age  who  was  employed  on  the  rancho; 
the  other,  that  he  had  some  sort  of  a  secret 
commission  to  execute,  and  that  for  the  faithful 
performance  of  his  work,  he  would  be  rewarded 


ARCHIE  LEARNS  SOMETHING.  123 

by  the  present  of  a  revolver.  What  that  com 
mission  was,  Archie  neither  knew  or  cared  ;  he 
had  something  of  much  more  importance  to 
think  about.  Suppose  the  man  should  happen 
to  meet  the  genuine  Bcppo,  and  should  find  out 
that  he  had  given  the  keys  to  somebody  else! 
Would  he  not  try  to  ascertain  who  that  some 
one  else  was,  and  would  n't  he  call  for  help,  and 
begin  a  thorough  search  of  the  rancho  ? 

"I  haven't  a  single  instant  to  lose/'  said 
Archie,  to  himself.  "  Let  me  see !  I  must 
follow  this  gang-way  and  open  the  first  door 
on  my  left,  and  be  sure  and  lock  it  after  me. 
I  do  n't  much  like  to  do  it,  for  there  is  no 
knowing  what  I  may  find  in  that  room.  I 
hope  one  of  these  keys  will  let  me  out  of  this 
den  of  robbers." 

So  saying,  Archie  began  to  feel  his  way  along 
the  left  wall  of  the  passage,  and  presently  came 
to  the  door  of  which  the  man  had  spoken,  and 
which  he  succeeded  in  opening  after  trying 
several  of  his  keys.  Hastily  passing  through 
the  door,  he  closed  and  locked  it,  and  then  be 
gan  to  feel  a  little  more  secure ;  although  he  did 
not  know  which  way  to  turn  next.  If  he  kept 


124  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

straight  ahead,  he  might  come  in  contact  with 
some  object,  or  step  upon  one  of  those  trap 
doors  he  so  much  dreaded.  After  a  little  hesi 
tation  he  placed  his  hands  upon  the  wall,  and 
began  moving  slowly  around  the  apartment, 
but  had  not  taken  more  than  half  a  dozen  steps 
before  he  ran  against  something.  A  moment's 
examination  showed  him  that  it  was  a  table, 
with  several  articles  upon  it — a  bowie-knife,  a 
brace  of  pistols,  two  or  three  lassos,  a  lantern, 
and  a  box  of  matches.  These  last  were  just 
what  he  had  been  wishing  for.  lie  lighted  the 
lantern,  and  then  turned  to  take  a  survey  of 
the  room.  It  proved  to  be  a  sort  of  armory 
and  depot  of  supplies.  The  walls  were  covered 
with  weapons,  and  saddles,  bridles,  blankets, 
ponchos,  and  numerous  other  articles  of  like 
description,  were  scattered  about  over  the  floor. 
A  hundred  horsemen  could  have  been  equipped 
from  that  room. 

As  soon  as  Archie  had  satisfied  himself  that 
he  was  alone,  he  began  (o  examine  the  objects 
about  him  a  little  more  closely ;  and  almost  the 
first  thing  his  eyes  rested  on  was  a  j  Xece  of 
property  belonging  to  himself. 


AltCIIIE  LEARNS  SOMETHING.  125 

"Isn't  it  lucky  that  I  didn't  speak  to  that 
man?"  he  soliloquized.  "  Did  n't  I  say  that 
old  Spaniard  was  one  of  the  robbers?  That's 
my  saddle.  I  would  know  it  among  a  million. 
It  is  the  very  one  that  was  on  Sleepy  Sam 
when  Uncle  James  bought  him  in  St.  Joseph. 
Now,  my  horse  is  in  this  very  rancho ;  and  he 
is  n't  far  off,  either.  This  settles  the  question 
of  Don  Carlos'  guilt." 

Archie  now  became  doubly  anxious  to  effect 
his  escape  from  the  rancho.  The  man  who  had 
given  him  the  keys  had  told  him  that  some 
one  was  always  roaming  about  those  passage 
ways,  and  as  long  as  he  remained  there  he  was 
in  danger  of  discovery.  But  he  had  said  that 
if  his  horse  was  in  that  rancho,  he  would  have 
him  out,  and  he  was  going  to  keep  his  word. 
He  would  not  think  of  going  home  until  he 
had  found  him.  Once  on  his  back,  and  outside 
of  the  walls  of  the  rancho,  he  could  laugh  at 
the  robbers.  If  Roderick  was  there,  he  would 
take  him,  too.  He  hoped  to  be  able  to  secure 
both  horses,  and  make  good  his  retreat  without 
being  discovered;  and  if  he  could  do  that, 
would  n't  he  astonish  his  cousin  when  he  came 


126  DON  CARLOS'  KAXCIIO. 

home  in  the  morning?  But  something  pre 
vented  Archie  from  carrying  out  this  plan. 
As  it  happened,  Frank  was  the  one  who  re 
covered  the  horses ;  and  if  it  had  not  been  for 
hi  in  and  Roderick,  Archie  would  never  have 
mounted  King  James  again. 

Archie's  first  care  was  to  take  possession  of 
the  weapons  he  found  on  the  table;  then  he 
raised  his  lantern,  and  took  another  survey  of 
the  room.  He  saw  a  door  opposite  to  the  one 
by  which  he  had  entered  ;  and  when  he  had 
opened  it,  he  found  that  it  led  into  a  long, 
low  apartment,  which  was  used  as  a  stable.  Jt 
mntained  several  horses,  which  the  robbers  had 
selected  and  kept  on  account  of  their  great 
speed  and  endurance,  and  conspicuous  among 
them  stood  Roderick  and  King  James. 

"Aha!"  exclaimed  Archie. 

"  Santa  Maria  !  "  cried  somebody  else. 

Archie  looked  up,  and  there  was  Beppo.  His 
mouth  and  eyes  were  wide  open,  and  he  stood 
gazing  at  the  intruder  as  if  he  could  not  quite 
make  up  his  mind  whether  he  was  a  solid  flcsh- 
and-blood  boy,  or  only  an  apparition.  The  fight 
must  come  off  now,  and  Archie  was  ready  for  it. 


ARCHIE  AND   BEFFO.  127 


CHAPTER  IX. 

ARCHIE  AND  BEFPO. 

"  H  ANTA  MARIA  ! "  exclaimed  Bcppo  again, 
and  this  time  in  a  very  different  tone  of 
voice.  He  was  frightened  now,  and  that  was 
not  to  be  wondered  at ;  for  Archie  stood  hold 
ing  a  pistol  in  each  hand,  and  both  of  them 
were  pointed  straight  at  the  Mexican's  breast. 
"  Do  n't  shoot/'  said  he,  drawing  his  head  down 
between  his  shoulders,  and  raising  one  arm 
before  his  eyes. 

"  You  are  in  no  danger  as  long  as  you  keep 
perfectly  quiet,  and  do  just  as  I  tell  you,"  re 
plied  Archie,  glancing  about  the  stable  to  make 
sure  there  was  no  one  else  present. 

This  assurance  seemed  to  remove  an  immense 
load  of  apprehension  from  Beppo's  mind.  He 
looked  all  over  Archie,  from  head  to  foot,  as  if 
taking  his  exact  measure,  and  finally  demanded : 


128  BOX  CARLOS'  EANCHO. 

"  What  do  you  want,  and  how  did  you  get 
in  here?" 

"Don't  talk  so  loud,"  commanded  Archie, 
making  a  significant  motion  with  his  pistols. 
"  If  you  speak  above  a  whisper  again,  you  are 
a  gone  Greaser." 

"  Well,  what  do  you  want  here  ? "  repeated 
Beppo,  in  a  lower  tone. 

"  I  have  no  time  to  waste  in  answering  ques 
tions.  Crawl  out  of  that  jacket." 

The  Mexican  seemed  to  be  very  much  as 
tonished  at  this  order,  but,  without  an  instant's 
hesitation,  he  divested  himself  of  his  greasy, 
tattered  garment,  and  threw  it  on  the  floor. 

"Now  that  sombrero,"  continued  Archie. 
"That's  all  right.'  I  shall  be  obliged  to  bor 
row  these  articles  for  a  little  while,  but,  as  I 
shall  leave  my  own  in  their  place,  you  will  not 
lo^e  much  in  case  I  fail  to  return  them.  When 
I  get  them  on,  I  think  I  shall  have  no  trouble 
in  passing  myself  off  for  you.  What  are  you 
doing  in  here?" 

"  I  came  after  the  gray  and  black,"  replied 
Beppo,  pointing  toward  Roderick  and  King 
James. 


ARCHIE  AND  BEPPO.  129 

"Well,  if  it  is  all  the  same  to  you,  I  will 
take  charge  of  them  myself.  I  have  a  better 
right  to  one  of  them,  than  you  or  any  body 
else  about  the  rancho.  He  was  stolen  from 
me,  Greaser,  and  when  I  get  home,  I  am  going 
to  make  somebody  smart  for  it." 

"  I  did  n't  do  it,"  said  Beppo. 

"  It  is  fortunate  for  you  that  you  did  n't," 
replied  Archie.  "  If  I  thought  you  had  a  hand 
in  it,  I  would  take  you  down  and  give  you  a 
good  drubbing.  I  ?d  like  to  have  a  long  talk 
with  you  about  the  strange  things  that  are  done 
here  every  night,"  he  continued,  pulling  off  his 
neat  jacket,  and  picking  up  the  one  Beppo  had 
thrown  upon  the  floor;  "but  just  now  I  am 
too  deeply  interested  in  getting  away  from  here, 
to  bother  my  head  about  any  thing  else.  I 
will  put  the  saddles  on  the  horses,  and  then  I 
want  you  to  show  me  " 

"  Santa  Maria !  "  yelled  Beppo  again.  "  Help  ! 
help!" 

There  was  no  astonishment  or  terror  in  his 
voice  this  time.  His  favorite  expression  was 
uttered  in  a  tone  of  triumph.  Things  looked 
exceedingly  dark  for  Archie  now,  for  he  was 


130  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

lying  on  his  back  in  the  middle  of  the  floor, 
Beppo  was  kneeling  on  his  breast,  and  the  sta 
ble  was  echoing  with  his  lusty  calls  for  assist 
ance.  Archie  was  greatly  astonished,  but  he  was 
not  frightened.  He  was  as  cool  as  a  cucumber. 

"That's  your  game,  is  it?"  said  he.  "I 
wouldn't  be  afraid  to  wager  King  James 
against  any  mustang  in  the  country,  that  it 
won't  succeed,  for  you've  got  hold  of  a  Yan 
kee  now.  I  '11  open  your  eyes  for  you,  in  about 
a  minute." 

Archie  had  come  to  believe,  with  Dick  Lewis 
and  Bob  Kelly,  that  there  was  not  a  Mexican 
in  the  world  who  possessed  the  least  particle 
of  courage ;  and  consequently  he  did  not  watch 
his  prisoner  as  closely  as  he  ought  to  have 
done.  Although  Beppo  was  very  much  terri 
fied  at  the  sight  of  the  pistols,  he  kept  his  wits 
about  him,  and  while  his  captor  was  talking 
to  him  in  his  free-and-easy  way,  the  young 
Mexican's  mind  was  busy  with  plans  for  escape. 
While  Archie  was  exchanging  his  jacket  and 
sombrero  for  those  belonging  to  Beppo,  the 
latter  thought  he  saw  a  chance  to  turn  the 
tables  on  him. 


AECHIE  AND  BEPrO.  131 

Archie  had  a  peculiar  way  of  putting  on  a 
coat.  He  thrust  both  arms  half  way  into  the 
sleeves,  then  threw  the  coat  over  his  head, 
straightened  out  his  arms,  and  gave  himself  a 
shake  or  two  to  settle  the  garment  into  its 
place.  It  was  when  he  had  got  the  jacket  about 
half  way  on,  and  both  his  arms  were  fast  in 
the  sleeves,  that  Beppo  sprang  forward  like  a 
young  tiger,  and  catching  him  around  the  body, 
threw  him  to  the  ground.  He  accomplished 
this  with  so  much  ease,  that  he  thought  he  was 
sure  to  win  a  decided  victory. 

"  Give  up  that  pistol,"  said  he,  savagely. 
"  I  ?ve  got  you  now." 

"That  remains  to  be  seen,"  replied  Archie, 
with  a  coolness  that  astounded  the  Mexican. 
"There's  no  knowing  who  is  governor  until 
after  the  election." 

Archie,  although  taken  at  great  disadvantage, 
struggled  desperately,  and  to  such  good  purpose 
that  he  succeeded  in  freeing  his  arms  from  the 
jacket;  and  then  the  matter  was  quickly  de 
cided.  Beppo  was  turned  over  on  his  back  in 
a  twinkling,  and  Archie,  holding  him  down 
with  one  hand,  drew  the  lantern  toward  him 


132  DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 

with  the  other,  and  extinguished  it ;  for  he 
heaid  footsteps  approaching.  Beppo's  cries 
hud  reached  the  ears  of  some  of  the  people  of 
the  rancho,  and  they  were  hurrying  to  his  as 
sistance.  He  would  have  continued  to  shout 
for  help,  but  the  cold  muzzle  of  a  pistol,  which 
he  felt  pressed  against  his  head,  restrained  him. 

Archie  did  not  know  what  to  do  now.  His 
first  impulse  was  to  spring  up  and  take  to  his 
heels;  but,  if  he  did,  what  should  he  do  with 
his  prisoner?  He  might  have  compelled  him 
to  accompany  him  in  his  flight,  but  Beppo  was 
a  clumsy  fellow,  and  having  no  reasons  for 
wishing  to  conceal  his  movements,  he  would, 
no  doubt,  make  noise  enough  to  guide  the  Ran- 
cheros  in  the  pursuit.  If  Archie  left  him  be 
hind,  he  would  begin  shouting  for  help  again; 
and  if  he  had  not  already  alarmed  every  one 
on  the  rancho,  it  would  not  take  him  long  to 
do  so.  The  only  plan  he  could  think  of  was 
to  remain  with  his  captive,  and  keep  him  quiet 
by  threatening  him  with  his  pistol,  trusting  to 
the  darkness  to  prevent  his  discovery. 

"  Do  n't  dare  opcu  your  head,"  said  Archie, 
fiercely. 


ARCHIE  AND  BEPPO.  133 

There  was  scarcely  any  need  of  this  injunc 
tion.  Beppo  never  once  thought  of  moving 
a  muscle,  while  that  pistol  was  so  near  him, 
and  he  lay  as  silent  and  motionless  upon 
the  floor  as  if  he  had  been  turned  into  a  block 
of  stone. 

The  footsteps  continued  to  approach,  and 
presently  the  light  of  a  lantern  flashed  through 
the  darkness,  revealing  to  Archie  a  grated  door 
at  the  farther  end  of  the  stable,  which  he  had 
not  before  noticed.  Looking  through  the  door, 
he  saw  two  Rancheros  hurrying  along  the  pas 
sage,  one  of  them  holding  his  lantern  above 
his  head,  and  both  trying  to  peer  through  the 
darkness  to  see  what  was  going  on  in  the  sta 
ble.  They  had  not  yet  seen  Archie,  but  they 
certainly  would  discover  him  when  they  reached 
the  door,  for  he  was  close  in  front  of  it.  He 
must  get  back  out  of  sight,  and  he  had  but  a 
single  instant  in  which  to  do  it.  Springing 
quickly  to  his  feet,  he  seized  the  astonished 
Beppo  by  the  collar,  with  both  hands,  and  be 
fore  he  could  make  up  his  mind  what  was  going 
to  happen,  he  was  lying  on  his  back  in  Rod 
erick's  stall,  with  Archie  on  top  of  him  ;  and 


134 


the  mustang  was  looking  down  at  them  as  if 
wondering  what  they  were  doing  there.  Scarce 
ly  had  this  movement  been  accomplished,  when 
the  Ranch eros  arrived  at  the  door;  but,  tc 
Archie's  immense  relief,  they  did  not  attempt 
to  open  it.  The  reason  was  because  the  door 
was  locked,  and  the  key  was  attached  to  the 
bunch  in  Archie's  pocket.  They  held  the  lan 
tern  close  against  the  bars,  and  peered  into  the 
stable. 

"  lie  is  n't  here,"  Archie  heard  one  of  them 
whisper,  at  length. 

"  He  must  be,"  replied  the  other.  "  I  know 
those  shouts  came  from  the  stable.  Beppo,  are 
you  in  there?" 

The  young  Mexican  heard  the  question,  and 
would  have  been  glad  to  answer,  if  Archie's 
pistol  had  not  been  held  so  close  to  his  head. 
The  men  waited  and  listened  for  a  reply,  but 
hearing  none,  the  one  who  had  last  spoken  con 
tinued  : 

"  I  can  see  those  horses  in  there,  and  they 
are  not  saddled.  He  has  had  plenty  of  time  to 
bring  them  out,  for  I  gave  him  the  keys  ten 


minutes  ago. 


ARCHIE  AND  BEPI>O.  135 

"  Santa  Maria ! "  said  Beppo,  in  an  aston 
ished  whisper. 

"  Silence  ! "  commanded  Archie. 

"  But  he  did  n't  give  me  any  keys/'  persisted 
the  prisoner,  whose  surprise  was  so  great  that 
he  forgot  all  about  the  dangerous  proximity  of 
the  pistol. 

"  Keep  still,  I  say  ! "  repeated  Archie ;  and 
as  the  order  was  followed  by  a  firmer  pressure 
of  the  muzzle  of  the  weapon  against  his  head, 
the  young  Mexican  thought  it  best  to  com 
ply. 

"  Where  do  you  suppose  those  shouts  came 
from  ?  "  asked  one  of  the  men  at  the  door. 

"I  don't  know,"  replied  the  other;  "and, 
what  is  more,  I  do  n't  care.  What  could  have 
become  of  that  rascal  Beppo ;  and  why  do  n't 
he  bring  out  those  horses  ?  that 's  what 's 
troubling  me.  If  we  do  n't  find  him  very  soon, 
our  plans  will  all  be  knocked  in  the  head." 

The  men  seemed  to  be  very  much  concerned 
about  the  young  Mexican,  and  that  was  a  point 
in  Archie's  favor ;  for  they  did  not  remain 
long  at  the  door,  but  set  out  in  search  of  him. 
Archie  watched  the  light  through  the  grated 


13G 


door  until  it  disappeared,  and  then  began  to 
question  his  prisoner. 

"What's  up  here,  any  how?7'  he  demanded. 
"What  did  those  men  want  you  to  do?" 

"Nothing,"  replied  Beppo. 

"Yes  they  did.  You  can't  fool  me,  for  I 
am  better  posted  than  you  think  I  am.  Where 
do  you  suppose  those  keys  are?" 

"  I  do  n't  know." 

"  Well,  I  do ;  and  I  know,  too,  that  those 
men  promised  you  a  revolver  for  doing  some 
work  for  them." 

"  Who  told  you  so  ? "  asked  Beppo,  more  as 
tonished  than  ever. 

"  No  matter.  I  have  a  wTay  of  finding  out 
such  tilings.  What  did  those  men  want  you 
to  do?  No  fooling,  now." 

Beppo  felt  the  muzzle  of  the  pistol  again, 
and  the  secret  came  out  all  at  once. 

"  They  wanted  me  to  bring  those  two  horses 
out  of  the  stable  for  them,"  said  he.  "  They 
are  tired  of  staying  here,  and  want  to  go  away. 
They  intend  to  take  the  Don's  money,  too — 
the  gold  he  keeps  in  his  bed-room.  They  want 
the  gray  and  black  horses  because  they  are  the 


ARCHIE  AND  BEPPO.  137 

swiftest  in  the  country;  and  if  they  are  fol 
lowed,  they  can't  be  caught." 

"  Well/'  said  Archie,  when  his  prisoner 
paused,  "go  on,  and  tell  me  what  else  you 
know." 

Beppo  knew  a  good  deal,  and  it  took  him 
some  time  to  tell  it ;  but  Archie,  impatient  as 
he  was,  listened  attentively  to  all  he  had  to 
say — not  because  he  was  curious  to  learn  some 
thing  of  the  every-day  life  of  the  robbers,  but 
for  the  reason  that  he  hoped  his  prisoner  would 
let  fall  some  item  of  information  that  would 
assist  him  in  making  his  escape  from  the  ran- 
cho.  He  learned  that  Beppo  wras  the  stable- 
boy,  and  that  it  was  a  part  of  his  duty  to  bring 
out  the  "  gray  and  black  "  every  evening,  at 
sunset,  for  two  of  the  Rancheros,  who  mounted 
them  and  rode  off  somewhere;  and  the  next 
morning  Beppo  would  find  two  or  three,  and 
sometimes  half  a  dozen,  strange  horses  in  the 
stable.  The  stolen  nags  were  driven  into  Texas 
every  week,  and  sold  there ;  and  the  reason 
why  Roderick  and  King  James  had  been  kept, 
was  because  they  were  known  to  be  very  fleet, 
and  the  robbers  wanted  to  use  them.  One 


138      BOX  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

piece  of  information  that  greatly  astonished 
Archie  was,  that,  although  there  were  fifty  men 
on  the  Don's  rancho,  they  did  not  number  a 
third  of  the  band.  The  others  were  scattered 
all  over  the  southern  part  of  the  State,  and 
were  employed  as  herdsmen  by  the  farmers, 
who  little  suspected  that  they  were  in  league 
with  the  robbers.  Beppo  said  there  were  some 
on  Mr.  "Winters's  rancho,  but  he  did  not  know 
who  they  were.  Their  business  was  to  send 
the  Don,  who  was  chief  of  the  band,  any  in 
formation  they  might  gain  concerning  the  fast 
horses  on  their  own  and  neighboring  ranches, 
and  Pedro  and  another  herdsman  would  go  out 
and  steal  them.  These  two  men  did  all  the 
stealing;  and  Archie  judged  from  Beppo's  de 
scription  of  their  exploits  that  they  were  very 
expert  at  the  business.  They  always  rode  Eod- 
erick  and  King  James,  and  the  swift  animals 
brought  them  home  in  safety,  in  spite  of  the 
most  desperate  attempts  that  had  been  made  to 
capture  them. 

The  keys  to  the  stable  and  to  all  the  rooms 
in  the  underground  part  of  the  rancho,  wore 
kept  in  the  Don's  bed-room.  One  of  the  dis- 


ARCHIE  AND  BEPPO.  139 

contented  members  of  the  band  had  stolen 
them,  and,  as  he  supposed,  given  them  to 
Beppo,  whom  he  had  hired  with  the  promise 
of  a  revolver  to  bring  the  horses  out  about 
half  an  hour  before  the  usual  time.  When 
the  mutineers  saw  the  horses  in  the  court,  they 
were  to  make  a  sudden  raid  on  their  employer's 
bed-room,  secure  as  much  gold  as  they  could 
carry,  and  then  rush  out,  jump  into  their  sad 
dles,  and  leave  the  rancho  with  all  possible 
speed. 

Archie  was  silent  for  some  minutes  after 
Beppo  ceased  speaking.  He  was  thinking  what 
a  skillful  manager  the  Spaniard  must  have  been 
to  have  successfully  conducted  the  operations 
of  so  extensive  an  organization,  without  even 
exciting  suspicion.  And  what  astonishing  im 
pudence  the  old  fellow  had,  too !  Archie  re 
membered  that  upon  one  occasion,  during  a 
general  hunt  after  the  horse-thieves,  in  which 
the  Don  had  taken  an  active  part,  he  had  in 
vited  a  dozen  men  and  boys  to  his  rancho,  and 
served  them  up  an  excellent  dinner.  What 
would  those  guests  have  thought  if  they  had 
that  they  were  being  entertained  by  the 


140 

chief  of  the  very  robbers  they  were  trying  to 
hunt  down?  And  to  think,  too,  that  some  of 
the  band  were  employed  on  his  uncle's  rancho — 
that  he  had  seen  them  every  day,  and  talked 
and  ridden  with  them!  Archie  told  himself 
that  there  would  be  some  exciting  times  in  the 
settlement  before  all  these  robbers  could  be 
brought  to  justice,  and  the  probabilities  were 
that  somebody  would  get  hurt.  He  did  not 
care  how  soon  the  fight  began,  for  then  he 
would  have  a  chance  to  take  satisfaction  out  of 
somebody  for  stealing  his  horse.  Archie  pon 
dered  upon  these  things,  until  it  occurred  to 
him  that  it  would  be  a  good  plan  for  him  to 
effect  his  escape  before  he  began  his  war  upon 
the  robbers,  and  this  thought  once  more  aroused 
him  to  a  sense  of  his  situation. 

"Where  did  these  mutineers  intend  to  go?" 
he  asked,  at  length. 

"  To  Texas,"  replied  Beppo. 

'"'Well,  they  shaVt  do  it— that 's  settled. 
Before  I  will  allow  them  to  take  these  hor.«ea 
out  of  the  country,  I  will  hunt  up  the  Don  and 
blow  the  whole  thing." 

"  O,   do  n't  do  that,"  pleaded  the  prisoner, 


ARCHIE  AND  BEPPO.  141 

who  seemed  terror-stricken  at  the  bare  thought. 
"  He  will  shoot  me." 

"  I  would  n't  like  to  have  you  shot,  Greaser/' 
replied  Archie,  "but  I  tell  you  that  my  horse 
is  not  going  to  Texas.  There  is  one  way  in 
which  you  can  save  yourself,  and  that  is  by 
leading  me  out  of  this  hole  by  the  safest  and 
most  direct  route.  Then  the  Don  need  know 
nothing  about  it;  but  just  as  surely  as  I  am 
captured  down  here,  I  '11  repeat  to  him  every 
thing  you  have  said  to  me." 

"  I  can't  lead  you  out,"  replied  Beppo.  "  The 
doors  are  all  locked." 

"  We  do  n't  care  if  they  are.  I  've  got  the 
keys." 

"You!     Santa  Maria!" 

"It's  a  fact,"  answered  Archie;  "but  how  I 
got  them  I  need  not  now  stop  to  explain.  What 
do  you  say,  Greaser?  Will  you  show  me  the 
way  out  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  gasped  the  young  Mexican,  who 
knew,  from  the  peremptory  manner  in  which 
the  pistol  was  pressed  against  his  head,  that  it 
was  dangerous  to  hesitate  longer.  "  Do  n't 
shoot!  I  will." 


142 

"That's  all  right,"  said  Archie.  "Now,  to 
put  it  out  of  your  power  to  play  any  tricks 
upon  me,  I  shall  tie  your  hands  behind  your 
back  with  your  own  sash — so.  Then  I  will 
take  mine,  and  pass  it  around  your  ankles,  in 
this  way." 

"  I  can't  walk,  if  you  do  that,"  interrupted 
Bcppo ;  "  and  if  I  can't  walk,  how  can  I  show 
you  the  way  out  ?  " 

"Don't  you  be  uneasy.  I  sha'n't  draw  the 
sash  tight  enough  to  interfere  much  with  your 
walking;  but  if  you  try  to  run,  it  is  probable 
that  you  will  be  tripped  up  very  suddenly. 
Now,  then,"  he  continued,  after  he  had  satisfied 
himself  that  his  prisoner  was  secure,  and  that 
he  could  not  possibly  free  himself  from  his 
bonds,  "  stand  here  until  I  put  the  saddles  on 
those  horses.  AVho''s  that?" 

At  this  moment  heavy  footsteps  sounded  on 
the  floor  overhead,  and  a  light  suddenly  flashed 
down  into  the  stable.  Archie  looked  up,  and 
saw  a  pair  of  feet  descending  a  ladder,  leading 
down  from  a  small  trap-door  which  opened  into 
the  apartment  over  the  stable.  Shortly  after 
ward  a  villainous  looking  Ranchero  came  in 


ARCHIE  AND  BEPPO.  143 

sight,  and  holding  his  lantern  at  arm's  length 
before  him,  stooped  down  and  glanced  all 
around  the  stable,  as  if  he  were  looking  for 
some  one.  Archie  was  so  badly  frightened  that 
he  could  not  move;  and  his  alarm  increased, 
and  his  heart  seemed  to  stop  beating,  when  the 
man's  eyes,  after  roving  all  about  the  stable, 
rested  on  his  face.  This  was  the  time  to  test 
his  disguise. 

"  Beppo,"  said  the  Mexican,  in  a  gruff  voice, 
"  bring  out  the  horses." 

As  he  spoke  he  placed  his  lantern  upon  one 
of  the  steps  of  the  ladder,  and  ascf>r?ded  out 
of  sight  through  the  trap-door. 


144  DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 


CHAPTER  X. 

ARCHIE  MAKES  A  BOLD  DASH. 

"YUHO  was  that?"  whispered  Archie,  in  a 
trembling  voice. 

"  Pedro/'  replied  the  young  Mexican. 

"What  did  he  want?" 

"  He  told  me  to  bring  up  the  gray  and  black ; 
he  is  going  out  to  steal  horses,  now,"  said  Beppo, 
with  the  same  indifference  he  would  have  mani 
fested  if  he  had  said  that  Pedro  was  about  to 
drive  up  a  herd  of  cattle. 

For  a  moment  Archie  stood,  almost  without 
breathing,  looking  up  at  the  trap-door  through 
which  the  Ranchero  had  disappeared.  His 
heart  beat  so  fast  and  furiously  that  he  was 
almost  afraid  the  man  might  hear  it,  and  come 
back  to  see  what  was  the  matter.  At  first  he 
did  not  know  what  to  do;  but,  after  a  few  sec 
onds'  reflection,  the  details  of  a  scheme  which 


ARCHIE  MAKES  A  BOLD  DASH.  145 

he  had  matured  while  Bcppo  was  telling  him 
about  the  plans  of  the  mutineers,  flashed  through 
his  mind,  and  he  began  to  bestir  himself. 

Since  he  entered  the  stable  and  found  his 
horse  there,  he  had  more  than  once  told  him 
self  that  if  he  could  only  contrive  some  way 
to  get  the  animal  above  ground,  he  could  laugh 
at  all  the  Rancheros  in  Southern  California. 
Pie  would  jump  on  his  back,  and  go  through 
the  court,  and  out  of  the  gate,  at  a  rate  of  speed 
that  would  make  Don  Carlos  and  his  band  of 
rascals  wonder;  but  the  difficulty  was  to  get 
the  horse  tip  there  without  being  obliged  to 
answer  questions.  As  far  as  his  disguise  was 
concerned,  he  was  not  at  all  uneasy.  He  was 
so  nearly  Beppo's  size  that  the  jacket  fitted 
him  exactly;  and  his  journey  across  the  plains, 
and  constant  exposure  to  the  hot  sun,  had 
tanned  his  face  until  it  was  almost  as  brown 
as  an  Indian's.  It  was  just  the  color  of  B^p- 
po's — not  quite  so  dirty,  of  course,  but  that 
was  something  the  Mexicans  would  not  be  likely 
to  notice.  Besides,  Archie  was  a  capital  mimic, 
and  he  knew  that,  if  he  was  questioned,  he  could 
imitate  his  prisoner's  way  of  talking,  Spanish 
10 


MG 

twang  and  all.  He  had  the  keys,  too,  with 
which  he  could  open  any  doors  he  might  find 
in  his  way  ;  but  suppose  he  should  meet  some 
of  the  band,  and  they  should  ask  him  where 
he  was  going,  and  what  he  intended  to  do  with 
the  horses — what  reply  could  he  make?  Now, 
however,  he  had  no  fears  on  that  score.  Pedro 
had  made  every  thing  easy  for  him.  Mistaking 
him  for  Beppo,  he  had  ordered  him  to  bring 
up  the  horses;  and  if  he  met  any  one  who  took 
an  interest  in  his  movements,  he  would  know 
how  to  answer  them. 

"  I  '11  soon  be  out  of  here,"  said  Archie,  to 
himself;  "and  when  I  once  find  myself  fairly 
in  that  court,  won't  I  astonish  these  Greasers? 
Uncle  said  this  morning  that  if  we  could  shoot 
Old  Davy  and  arrest  the  horse-thieves,  he 
would  be  glad  of  it.  We  've  finished  the  griz 
zly,  and  if  we  can't  capture  the  robbers,  we 
will  at  least  have  the  satisfaction  of  knowing 
that  we  have  broken  up  the  band,  and  got  our 
horses  back.  But  I  believe  we  can  gobble  up 
every  one  of  them.  When  I  get  home  I  '11 
tell  Carlos  to  send  out  uncle's  herdsmen,  and 
we  will  arouse  the  settlement,  and  raise  a  crowd 


ARCHIE  MAKES  A   BOLD  DASH.  147 

of  men,  and  come  here  and  storm  the  rancho. 
I  '11  have  a  chance  then  to  see  a  fight  and  smell 
powder." 

Many  a  time,  while  talking  over  the  particu 
lars  of  the  battle  which  had  taken  place  years 
before  at  Mr.  AYinters's  rancho,  Archie  had 
expressed  the  hope  that  another  band  of  free 
booters  would  turn  up  before  he  left  California, 
and  make  a  second  attack  on  the  building.  He 
had  passed  through  a  fight  with  hostile  Indians; 
had  heard  the  whistle  of  their  bullets  and  ar 
rows ;  and  he  thought  that  all  that  was  needed 
to  complete  the  list  of  his  adventures,  was  the 
opportunity  of  taking  part  in  a  siege  of  a  week 
or  two.  If  every  thing  worked  according  to 
his  calculations,  it  was  probable  that  his  wish 
would  be  gratified.  How  the  robbers  would 
fight  when  they  found  their  stronghold  sur 
rounded  by  the  settlers ;  and  what  desperate 
attempts  they  would  make  to  cut  their  way 
out !  How  the  rifles  would  crack  !  and  how 
Dick  Lewis  and  Bob  Kelly  would  yell  and 
exult  at  finding  themselves  once  more  in  their 
natural  element !  Archie  became  highly  ex 
cited  over  the  prospect. 


148 


Archie's  first  care  was  to  provide  for  the 
safe  keeping  of  his  prisoner,  which  he  did  by 
binding  his  handkerchief  over  his  mouth,  and 
pushing  him  under  Roderick's  manger,  where 
lie  tied  him  fast;  Beppo  submitting  to  the 
operation  without  a  murmur.  His  next  work 
was  to  prepare  the  horses  for  their  plundering 
expedition,  which  he  had  fully  determined 
should  not  prove  a  success  that  night.  A  sad 
dle,  which  hung  upon  a  peg  close  at  hand,  was 
soon  strapped  on  the  mustang's  back  ;  but  when 
Archie  had  slipped  the  bridle  over  his  head,  a 
thought  struck  him,  and  he  stopped  and  looked 
reflectively  down  at  his  prisoner. 

"  I  shall  have  to  untie  this  fellow  again," 
said  he,  "  for  I  do  n't  know  which  way  to  go. 
These  passage-ways  run  about  in  every  direc 
tion,  and  I  might  get  lost;  then,  if  some  of 
the  band  should  meet  me,  they  would  know  in 
a  minute  that  I  wasn't  Beppo.  Whoa,  there! 
Where  are  you  going,  Roderick?" 

WLile  Archie  was  talking  to  himself,  the 
mustang  backed  out  of  his  stall,  and  walked 
quietly  to  the  grated  door  at  the  farther  end 
of  the  stable,  w'lere  he  stopped,  and  seemed  to 


ARCHIE  MAKES  A  BOLD  DASH.  149 

be  waiting  for  some  one  to  come  and  let  him 
out.  He  had  become  quite  familiar  with  his 
new  quarters ;  and  Archie  knew  then  that  he 
had  only  to  let  Roderick  take  his  own  course, 
and  he  would  lead  him  straight  to  the  court. 
He  quickly  put  the  saddle  on  his  own  horse, 
and  he  also  backed  out  of  his  stall,  and  took 
his  stand  beside  Roderick,  in  front  of  the 
grated  door.  So  far  every  thing  was  working 
to  Archie's  satisfaction ;  but  the  dangerous  part 
was  yet  to  come,  and  he  trembled  when  he 
thought  of  it.  He  carefully  examined  his  re 
volver,  hid  his  bowie-knife  in  his  boot,  and 
put  the  pistols,  which  he  had  found  on  the 
table,  into  his  trousers7  pockets.  Then  he 
pulled  out  his  bunch  of  keys,  picked  up  the 
lantern,  and  started  toward  the  door.  He  re 
gretted  an  instant  afterward  that  he  had  not 
left  the  lantern;  for  as  he  glanced  toward  the 
door,  he  saw  a  face  pressed  close  against  the 
bars,  and  a  pair  of  eyes  glaring  at  him  with  a 
motft  ferocious  expression.  Archie  stopped 
suddenly,  undecided  how  to  act.  Had  the  man 
penetrated  his  disguise  ?  That  question  was 
quickly  answered  to  his  satisfaction  by  the 


150  DON  CARLOS'  KANCHO. 

Rauchero,  who  clenched  his  hand  and  shook  it 
at  him,  saying,  in  a  savage  whisper : 

"  You  have  n't  heard  the  last  of  this,  my 
young  friend.  I  '11  settle  with  you  as  soon  as 
you  have  taken  those  horses  up." 

The  man  gave  his  fist  another  shake  to  em 
phasize  his  words,  and  then  left  the  door  and 
hurried  down  the  passage;  but,  before  he  dis 
appeared  in  the  darkness,  Archie  obtained  a 
good  view  of  him,  and  recognized  him  as  one 
of  the  mutineers  whom  he  had  seen  at  the  door 
a  few  minutes  before.  Archie  understood  his 
words  perfectly.  The  Ranchero  was  very 
angry  at  Beppo  for  his  failure  to  carry  out  his 
part  of  the  contract,  and  had  made  up  his 
mind  to  punish  him  for  it  at  some  future  time. 
He  did  try  to  whip  somebody ;  but,  as  it  hap 
pened,  he  got  hold  of  the  wrong  man,  and 
came  out  second  best. 

"  He  's  gone,"  said  Archie,  drawing  a  long 
breath  of  relief,  "and  I  think  I  may  venture 
out.  I  would  n't  be  in  Beppo's  boots  for  a 
quarter,  when  that  man  meets  him.  I  believe 
I  am  the  luckiest  fellow  in  the  world ;  for 
Nvheiiever  i  get  into  a  scrape,  I  always  find  an 


ARCHIE  MAKES  A  BOLD  DASH.  151 

easy  way  out  of  it."  As  he  said  this,  he  tn ought 
of  the  "  scrape  "  he  had  had  that  morning  with 
Old  Davy,  and  told  himself  he  had  not  come 
out  of  that  so  very  easily  after  all.  He  still 
felt  the  effects  of  his  fall  in  his  nose  and  shoul 
der.  "  If  any  body  had  asked  me  half  an  hour 
ago  what  I  thought  of  the  situation,"  he  con 
tinued,  "I  should  have  said  that  the  prospect 
was  not  very  flattering.  I  expected  to  have  a 
terrible  fuss  with  these  Greasers;  but,  just  in 
the  nick  of  time,  a  mutineer  comes  up,  mistakes 
me  for  an  accomplice,  gives  me  a  bunch  of 
keys,  and  thus  makes  it  the  easiest  matter  in 
the  world  for  me  to  effect  my  escape.  It  is 
really  wonderful." 

Archie  at  last  succeeded  in  finding  a  key  to 
fit  the  lock,  the  door  swung  open,  and  the 
horses  went  out  and  started  down  the  passage 
way,  Archie  following  close  at  their  heels.  Now 
that  he  had  a  light,  and  could  distinguish  ob 
jects  about  him,  he  wondered  at  the  number 
and  extent  of  the  passages.  They  ran  about 
in  all  directions,  and  the  horses  turned  first 
into  one,  and  then  into  another,  and  twisted 
about  until  he  began  to  believe  that  they  hud 


152 

lost  their  way.  But  they  knew  where  they 
were  going,  and  in  a  few  minutes  they  brought 
Archie  in  sight  of  a  door  which  led  into  the 
court.  The  door  was  open,  and  there  were 
half  a  dozen  men  standing  in  front  of  it,  among 
whom  was  Don  Carlos,  who  seemed  to  be  highly 
excited  about  something ;  fo-  he  was  flourishing 
his  arms  wildly  around  his  head,  and  talking 
at  the  top  of  his  voice.  If  Archie  had  known 
what  a  race  Frank  had  had  Through  that  court 
a  little  while  before,  and  wl  at  had  happened 
to  him  since,  it  would  have  increased  his  own 
excitement  and  alarm,  if  si  ch  a  thing  were 
possible.  He  believed  that  his  cousin  was  still 
seated  comfortably  in  the  room  where  he  had 
left  him,  reading  his  book,  ard  a1!  unconscious 
of  Archie's  absence. 

"lie  will  stay  here  all  ni^ht  in  perfect  se 
curity,"  Archie  had  said,  whenever  he  thought 
of  Frank,  "  and  to-morrow,  when  he  comes 
home,  he  will  hardly  be  will  ng  to  believe  me 
when  I  tell  him  what  I  have  seen,  and  what  I 
have  been  through.  The  DC  a  will  treat  him 
like  a  gentleman,  of  course ;  but  what  would 
be  do  to  me  if  he  should  finJ  that  I  am  down 


ARCHIE  MAKES  A  BOLD  DASH.  153 

in  this  cellar  learning  all  his  secrets?  I'd  be 
gone  up,  sure.  I  wonder  if  the  old  fellow  lias 
discovered  my  absence,  and  what  he  thinks  of 
it!" 

The  Don,  as  we  know,  had  discovered  his 
absence,  and  was  greatly  alarmed  thereat,  fear 
ing  that  Archie  might  have  found  his  way  into 
the  under-ground  portions  of  the  rancho,  and 
learned  something  that  was  not  intended  for 
him  to  know.  Having  returned  from  his  chase 
after  Frank  (with  what  success  we  shall  see 
presently),  he  was  determined  to  ascertain  what 
had  become  of  Archie ;  and  a  dozen  of  his 
Karicheros  were  at  that  very  moment  searching 
for  him  in  every  nook  and  corner  of  the  pas 
sage-ways. 

When  Archie  discovered  the  men  at  the 
door,  he  knew  that  the  tug  of  war  was  coming. 
His  disguise  had  already  been  tested  by  Pedro 
and  one  of  the  mutineers,  and  their  suspicions 
had  not  been  aroused  in  the  slightest  degree; 
but  how  would  it  be  when  he  came  out  into 
the  court,  which  was  brilliantly  lighted  up  with 
lanterns?  He  was  quite  certain  of  one  thing, 
ami  that  was,  if  the  Don  recognized  him,  and 


101  DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

wanted  to  stop  him,  he  must  do  it  before  he 
reached  the  court;  for  after  that  it  would  be 
impossible.  If  he  could  only  put  his  eyes  on 
the  gate,  he  was  safe.  That  was  what  Archie 
thought  as  he  extinguished  his  lantern,  and 
spoke  in  a  low  tone  to  the  horses,  which  stopped 
instantly.  Mounting  King  James,  he  gathered 
the  reins  firmly  in  his  left  hand,  seized  the 
mustang's  bridle  with  his  right,  and  in  another 
moment  was  dashing  at  full  speed  up  the  de 
clivity  that  led  to  the  door.  He  was  right  in 
the  midst  of  the  Mexicans  before  they  knew 
it.  Two  of  them  were  sent  headlong  to  the 
ground,  and  the  Don  only  saved  himself  from 
being  run  down,  by  a  jump  that  was  remark 
able  for  one  of  his  years.  They  were  all  scat 
tered  right  and  left,  and  the  way  was  clear  to 
the  gate. 

"Good-by,  Don  Carlos!"  shouted  Archie,  so 
excited  and  elated  that  he  could  scarcely  speak; 
"  I  '11  be  back  in  half  an  hour." 

No  words  could  describe  the  Spaniard's  be 
wilderment  and  alarm.  He  recognized  Archie's 
voico,  knew  in  an  instant  that  his  worst  fear*» 
had  been  realized,  and  saw  the  necessity  of 


ARCHIE  MAKES  A  BOLD  DASH.  155 

preventing  him  from  leaving  the  rancho.  Pie 
stood  gazing  in  astonishment  at  the  swiftly- 
moving  horses  and  their  daring  rider ;  and  be 
fore  he  could  recover  the  use  of  his  tongue, 
{hey  were  half  way  across  the  court. 

"Ach,  mine  heavens!"  roared  the  Don, 
jumping  about  over  the  ground  like  one  de 
mented;  "mine  dear  heavens!  Here  ish  dis 
leetle  poys !  Shtop  him,  dere !  Dis  ish  von 
grand  shwindle ! " 

There  were  half  a  dozen  Ivancheros  in  the 
court,  besides  those  who  had  been  conversing 
with  the  Spaniard,  and  Archie's  sudden  ap 
pearance  created  a  great  commotion  among 
them.  They  ran  about  in  every  direction,  some 
shouting  for  their  pistols,  and  others  calling  for 
their  lassos;  but  not  one  among  them  was 
daring  enough  to  attempt  to  stop  him.  They 
might  as  well  have  tried  to  stop  a  locomotive 
or  a  steamboat.  The  horses  bounded  across 
the  court  with  terrific  speed,  and  nothing  short 
of  a  rifle-ball  or  lasso  would  have  checked 
them.  Archie's  face  was  very  pale,  but  it  be 
trayed  not  the  slightest  sign  of  fear.  It  wore 
a  determined,  reckless  look,  and  it  was  easy 


156      DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

enough  to  see  that  he  was  not  to  be  daunted 
by  any  obstacles  or  dangers  he  might  find  be 
fore  him.  He  would  have  remorselessly  run 
down  all  the  herdsmen  on  the  ranch  o,  if  they 
had  placed  themselves  in  his  way. 

Archie  thought  now  that  his  escape  was  but 
a  question  of  time — of  seconds ;  but  there  was 
one  obstacle  in  his  way  that  he  had  not  calcu 
lated  upon,  and  that  was  the  gate.  When  he 
came  in  sight  of  it,  what  was  his  dismay  to 
find  that  it  was  closed !  The  heavy  oak  bars 
were  in  their  places;  and  the  gate  was  so  well 
secured,  that  before  he  could  dismount  and 
open  it,  the  yelling,  angry  Mexicans,  who  were 
closing  in  from  all  sides,  would  be  down  upon 
him  in  a  bodv.  He  was  cornered — cauirht. 

«/ 

His  desperate  plan  for  escape,  which  had  been 
so  brilliantly  commenced,  and  which  at  first 
promised  to  succeed  even  beyond  his  expecta 
tions,  had  resulted  in  utter  failure.  He  wished 
now  that  he  had  remained  hidden  in  some  of 
the  under-ground  rooms  until  dark. 

The  horses  stopped  when  they  reached  the 
gate,  and  Archie  turned  in  his  saddle  and  took 
a  survey  of  the  situation.  The  court  was  filled 


ARCHIE  MAKES  A  BOLD  DASH.  157 

with  men  now — for  the  most  of  those  who  had 
been  searching  the  passage-ways  had  come  up — • 
and  they  were  all  running  toward  him,  swing 
ing  their  lassos,  and  brandishing  their  knives 
and  pistols  as  if  they  intended  to  use  them  as 
soon  as  they  could  get  their  hands  upon  him. 
A  more  ferocious  looking  set  of  men  he  had 
never  seen. 

Had  Archie  been  placed  in  this  situation  a 
few  months  before,  it  is  probable  that, he  would 
have  been  frightened  out  of  his  wits,  and  that 
lie  would  have  surrendered  without  making  any 
further  attempts  at  escape.  But  he  had  been  the 
hero  of  some  exciting  adventures  since  he  left 
Lawrence,  and,  to  some  extent,  he  had  become 
familiar  with  danger.  Besides,  he  was  natu 
rally  brave  and  resolute,  and  believing  from 
the  actions  of  his  enemies,  and  the  expression 
he  saw  in  their  faces,  that  it  was  their  inten 
tion  to  take  a  summary  vengeance  upon  him, 
he  resolved  to  fight  for  life  and  liberty  as  long 
as  he  had  strength  enough  to  move  an  arm, 
He  had  nothing  to  gain  by  surrendering  him 
self  into  the  hands  of  the  Mexicans:  he  might 

*  o 

gain  every  thing  by  resisting  them  to  the  last. 


158 

"  Now,  dis  ish  all  right ! "  yelled  the  Don, 
when  lie  saw  Archie  hesitating  at  the  gate,  and 
his  men  elosing  around  him.  "  We  have  got 
dis  leetle  poys.  Hi !  Bedro,  vat  yon  ma  kin* 
dere?  Ah!  Mine  heavens! " 

The  change  in  the  old  Spaniard's  tone  was 
caused  by  an  action  on  the  part  of  Archie,  which 
astonished  every  body  in  the  court.  Dropping 
Roderick's  bridle,  he  suddenly  wheeled  his 
horse  and  dashed  furiously  toward  the  Ran- 
cheros,  who  scattered  before  him  like  a  flock 
of  turkeys.  As  he  passed  through  their  ranks, 
several  lassos  were  thrown  at  him  ;  but  Archie 
had  learned  how  to  avoid  these  weapons,  and 
by  lying  flat  along  his  horse's  neck,  he  escaped 
being  pulled  from  his  saddle.  He  galloped 
toward  the  nearest  door,  and  without  trying  to 
stop  his  horse,  threw  himself  to  the  ground, 
and  disappeared  in  the  hall  like  a  flash.  A 
few  rapid  steps  brought  him  to  the  room  to 
which  the  Don  had  conducted  him  on  his  ar 
rival  at  the  rancho.  He  did  not  stop  to  look 
for  his  cousin,  for  he  knew  that  if  Frank  had 
been  there,  the  confusion  and  noise  in  the  court 
would  have  brought  him  out.  He  ran  straight 


AUCHTE  MAKES  A  BOLD   DASH.  159 

to  the  painting  of  the  Indian  warrior,  pressed 
the  button  in  the  handle  of  the  knife,  and  when 
the  door  opened  before  him,  he  dashed  through 
and  ran  along  the  dark  passage  with  reck 
less  speed; — the  smooth  click  of  the  spring-lock 
telling  him  that  the  picture  had  swung  back 
to  its  place.  He  still  had  the  bunch  of  keys, 
which  he  intended  to  preserve  as  a  memento 
of  his  visit  to  Don  Carlos'  rancho,  and  his 
object  now  was  to  reach  the  room  adjoining 
the  stable,  and  lock  himself  in.  He  concluded, 
from  something  Beppo  had  said,  that  there  was 
but  one  set  of  keys  to  all  these  rooms ;  and  he 
had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  if  that 
was  the  case,  the  robbers  could  not  capture 
him  until  they  had  cut  down  every  door  in  the 
rancho.  He  would  retreat  as  they  advanced, 
locking  all  the  doors  behind  him;  and  when 
at  last  he  was  brought  to  bay,  he  would  use 
his  revolver. 

The  passage  was  so 'dark  that  Archie  could 
not  see  his  hand  before  him ;  and  how  he  ever 
got  down  the  stairs  without  breaking  his  neck 
he  did  not  know.  He  accomplished  the  descent 
in  safety,  however,  and  there  his  good  fortune 


160  DON  CARLOS'  EANCHO. 

ended.  As  lie  jumped  into  the  passage  at  the 
foot  of  the  stairs,  he  came  in  violent  contact 
with  some  one  who  instantly  seized  him  and 
held  him  fast. 

"  Who's  this?"  demanded  a  gruff  voice. 

"Santa  Maria!"  cried  Archie. 

"  You  young  rascal !  "  continued  the  man,  in 
a  tone  of  great  satisfaction.  "  I  've  got  you 
now,  and  I  am  going  to  give  you  the  best 
dressing  down  you  have  had  in  a  twelve 
month."  Something  whistled  sharply  in  the 
darkness,  and  Archie  felt  the  effects  of  a  sting 
ing  blow  from  a  rawhide  in  the  hands  of  his 

O 

u. visible  antagonist. 


A  COMPANION  IN  TROUBLE.  161 


CHAPTER  XL 

A  COMPANION  IN  TROUBLE. 

A  RCHIE  recognized  the  voice  which  ad- 
**•  dressed  him,  and  knew  who  his  antagonist 
was.  He  was  one  of  the  mutineers — the  same 
who  had  given  him  the  keys,  and  who  had 
shaken  his  fist  at  him  as  he  was  leading  out 
the  horses.  Supposing  Archie  to  be  Beppo,  he 
had  loitered  about  in  the  passage  awaiting  his 
return  to  the  stable,  intending  to  take  an  ample 
revenge  upon  him.  The  horses  not  being  on 
hand  at  the  right  time,  the  plans  of  the  muti 
neers  were  completely  upset;  and  of  course 
they  were  highly  enraged. 

Although  Archie  was  greatly  astonished  and 
alarmed  at  finding  himself  thus  unceremoni 
ously  assaulted,  he  comprehended  the  situation 
in  an  instant,  and  acted  accordingly.  He  knew 

that  as  long  as  the  man  supposed  him  to  be 
11 


1G2      DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

Bcppo,  he  would  use  nothing  but  his  rawhide 
on  him,  and  Archie  thought  he  could  stand 
that;  but,  if  he  made  himself  known,  the 
Ranchero  would  drop  his  whip,  and  resort  to 
his  knife,  and  that  was  something  Archie  could 
not  stand.  When  he  uttered  Beppo's  favorite 
expression,  he  exactly  imitated  his  voice ;  and 
the  man,  believing  that  he  had  got  hold  of  the 
right  one,  clung  to  his  collar,  and  belaborel 
him  most  unmercifully  with  his  rawhide. 

"Santa  Maria!"  yelled  Archie,  smarting 
under  the  blows,  and  writhing  like  an  eel  in 
the  strong  grasp  that  held  him. 

"You'll  fool  me  again,  will  you?"  said  the 
Ranchero,  with  grim  satisfaction.  "  You  '11 
break  your  promise,  won't  you  ?  Why  did  n't 
you  bring  up  those  horses?  How  does  that 
feel,  you  rascal?" 

The  sensation  was  by  no  means  an  agreeable 
one.  The  herdsman,  who  was  a  powerful  fel 
low,  showered  his  blows  with  all  his  strength, 
and  his  victim  struggled  in  vain  to  escape  from 
his  clutches.  Then  he  tried  to  slip  out  of  his 
jacket ;  but  the  Ranchero  detected  the  move, 
and  shifted  his  grasp  from  Archie's  collar  to 


A  COMPANION  IN  TEOUBLE.      163 

his  hair.  The  torture  soon  became  almost  un 
bearable,  and  Archie  was  more  than  once  on 
the  point  of  losing  heart  and  crying  out ;  but 
just  at  the  right  time  his  courage  came  again 
to  his  aid,  and  shutting  his  teeth  firmly  to 
gether,  he  braced  his  nerves,  and  took  the  pun 
ishment  without  a  murmur.  But  he  did  not 
cease  his  struggles.  He  ducked  his  head,  and 
jumped  and  squirmed  about  in  a  way  that 
made  it  extremely  difficult  for  his  antagonist 
to  hit  him ;  but  if  he  escaped  one  blow,  the 
next  one  he  received  came  with  redoubled 
force ;  and  becoming  satisfied  at  last  that  it 
was  the  man's  intention  to  whip  him  to  death, 
he  grew  desperate,  and  did  something  that 
ended  the  battle  in  an  instant.  Thrusting  his 
hand  into  his  pocket,  he  drew  out  one  of  the 
long,  heavy  pistols  which  he  had  found  on  the 
table,  and  grasping  it  by  the  barrel,  he  struck 
his  enemy  a  blow  in  the  face  which  felled  him 
like  an  ox  under  the  ax  of  the  butcher.  In 
falling,  he  pulled  Archie  to  the  floor  with  him, 
but  he  did  not  hold  him  there,  nor  did  he  at 
tempt  it.  He  raised  both  hands  to  his  head, 
and  set  up  a  roar  that  awoke  a  thousand  echoes 


164  DON  CARLOS'  RANCH o. 

in  the  passage;  and  Archie,  finding  himself  at 
liberty,  scrambled  to  his  feet  and  ran  for  life. 
He  did  not  know  where  or  in  what  direction 
he  was  going,  nor  did  he  give  the  matter  a  mo 
ment's  thought.  His  only  desire  was  to  get  as 
far  away  from  his  antagonist  as  possible,  and 
to  conceal  himself  in  one  of  the  rooms.  He 
would  have  given  something  now  to  have  had 
a  lantern,  for  it  was  far  from  being  a  pleasant 
thing  to  stumble  about  in  that  intense  dark 
ness,  through  those  unknown  passage-ways. 
A  lighl  might  have  discovered  him  to  his  ene 
mies,  but  he  told  himself  that  he  would  much 
rather  run  that  risk,  than  be  continually  har- 
rassed  by  the  fear  of  running  against  some  of 
the  band  before  he  knew  it,  or  of  falling  through 
some  secret  trap-door.  But  luck  was  on  his 
side.  There  were  no  trap-dcors  in  his  way. 
and  the  robbers  were  all  up-stairs,  overturning 
every  thing  in  their  frantic  search  for  him. 
He  groped  his  way  along  with  all  possible 
speed,  and  finally,  believing  himself  safe  from 
pursuit  for  the  present,  he  stopped  to  take 
breath,  and  to  determine  upon  his  future  course. 
What  was  to  be  done  now?  that  was  the 


A  COMPANION  IN  TKOUBLE.      165 

question.  He  was  in  a  bad  scrape,  and  could 
see  no  way  to  get  out  of  it.  He  rubbed  his 
aching  shoulders,  and  thought  of  the  remark 
he  had  so  often  made  since  his  adventure  witb 
Pierre  and  his  band — that  he  did  not  care  to 
remain  longer  in  California,  because  the  fun 
and  excitement  were  all  over.  He  thought  dif 
ferently  now.  He  had  had  plenty  of  excite 
ment  during  the  day,  much  more  than  he 
wanted,  but  he  had  not  seen  a  great  deal  of 
fun.  Bruised  and  battered,  smarting  in  a  hun 
dred  places  from  the  effects  of  the  beating  he 
had  received ;  surrounded  by  a  net-work  of 
secret  passage-ways  and  caverns,  among  which 
he  was  as  effectually  lost  as  though  he  had 
been  in  the  heart  of  the  Rocky  Mountains ;  in 
the  midst  of  enemies  who  would  show  him  no 
mercy  if  captured ;  his  situation  was  certainly 
a  disheartening  one.  He  could  not  hope  for 
assistance  from  his  friends,  for  they  were  igno 
rant  of  his  whereabouts.  He  and  Frank  had 
often  camped  out  among  the  mountains  for  a 
week  at  a  time,  enjoying  the  fine  shooting  to 
be  found  there ;  and  now  the  trappers,  if  they 
noticed  his  absence  at  all,  would  probably 


166  DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

think  he  had  gone  off  on  one  of  his  hunting 
expeditions,  and  instead  of  making  any  attempt 
to  find  him,  would  leave  him  to  return  home 
when  he  got  ready.  Frank  might  be  captured, 
confined  in  one  of  those  rooms,  and  die  a  lin 
gering  death  there,  and  no  one  would  ever 
know  what  had  become  of  him. 

"I  wish  I  had  never  seen  or  heard  of  Cali 
fornia,"  said  Archie,  bitterly,  allowing  himself 
for  a  moment  to  become  utterly  disheartened. 
"  If  I  had  only  known  that  I  was  going  to  get 
myself  into  this  miserable  scrape,  I  '11  bet  you 
that  I  would  have  let  the  robbers  take  my 
horse,  and  welcome.  There  they  are  !  " 

Archie's  soliloquy  was  interrupted  by  the 
sound  of  voices  and  footsteps.  The  Don  and 
his  men,  having  thoroughly  ransacked  the  up 
per  part  of  the  house,  were  now  beginning  to 
search  the  underground  portion.  The  noise 
grew  louder,  and  the  conversation  more  distinct, 
as  the  Rancheros  approached,  and  Archie  knew 
it  was  high  time  he  was  hunting  up  a  place  of 
concealment.  Putting  his  hands  against  the 
wall,  he  groped  his  way  along  the  passage  until 
he  came  to  a  door.  This  he  unlocked  with  one 


A  COMPANION  IN  TROUBLE.      167 

of  his  keys,  and  lifting  the  latch,  he  opened 
the  door  a  little  way,  and  listened.  While  he 
stood  there,  hesitating  and  afraid  to  enter,  the 
llauchcros  approached  rapidly ;  and  presently 
Archie  saw  the  light  of  a  lantern  dancing  along 
the  passage.  There  were  four  men  in  the  party, 
and  they  were  coming  directly  toward  the  fugi 
tive,  who,  knowing  that  there  was  but  one  way 
of  escape  open  to  him,  stepped  cautiously  into 
the  room  and  locked  the  door.  Scarcely  had 
this  been  done  when  the  Rancheros  hurried 
past,  searching  every-where  for  Archie,  and 
little  dreaming  that  he  was  so  near,  and  that 
the  door  alone  stood  between  them  and  him. 
He  distinctly  heard  their  angry  words,  and 
understood  enough  of  their  conversation  to 
know  that  the  events  of  the  last  half  hour  had 
greatly  astonished  them ;  and  that,  if  he  was 
captured,  something  terrible  would  be  done  to 
him.  They  passed  out  of  hearing  at  last,  and 
Archie  drew  a  long  breath  of  relief,  and  braced 
up  his  nerves  to  encounter  any  new  perils  that 
might  be  in  his  way. 

There  was  one  thing  that  had  thus  far  kept 
him  in  a  state  of  intense  anxiety  and  suspense, 


168  1M)N    r.VIILO.s'    IIAXCIIO. 

and  that  was  the  fear  of  running  into  some  ter 
rible  clanger  while  he  was  roaming  about  in 
the  darkness — something  that  would  take  him 
by  surprise,  and  end  his  existence  before  he 
would  have  time  to  comprehend  its  nature. 
How  did  he  know  but  there  was  a  chasm  yawn 
ing  at  his  very  feet)  and  that  if  he  advanced 
a  single  step  he  would  find  himself  plunging 
headlong  to  destruction  ?  Or  how  could  he  tell 
but  there  were  some  of  the  band  standing  with 
in  reach  of  him,  with  their  knives  uplifted 
ready  to  strike?  He  took  a  match  from  his 
pocket,  but  hesitated  to  light  it  for  fear  that  it 
might  reveal  some  new  terror.  He  knew,  how 
ever,  that  he  had  nothing  to  gain  by  standing 
there  inactive,  and  summoning  all  his  courage 
to  his  aid,  he  drew  the  match  along  the  wall; 
but,  no  sooner  had  the  flame  blazed  up,  so  that 
he  could  distinguish  objects  about  him,  than  he 
staggered  back  against  the  door  with  a  cry  of 
terror,  and  stood  trembling  in  every  limb. 
The  single  instant  that  the  room  was  lighted 
up  by  the  match,  was  enough  to  reveal  to  him 
a  sight  that  filled  him  with  horror — a  familiar 
form,  lying  bound  and  helpless  on  the  floor, 


A  COMPANION  IN  TROUBLE.       169 

and  a  wounded  and  bleeding  face,  which,  save 
where  it  was  reddened  by  the  little  streams  of 
blood  that  had  flowed  over  it,  was  as  pale  as 
that  of  the  dead.  But  Archie,  to  his  immense 
relief,  soon  found  that  his  companion  in  trou 
ble  had  plenty  of  life  left  in  him.  His  body 
was  battered  and  bruised,  but  his  spirit  was  as 
undaunted  as  ever. 

"Well,  what  are  you  doing  here?"  asked  a 
voice,  in  tones  of  great  amazement. 

"  Frank  Nelson ! "  exclaimed  Archie,  scarcely 
believing  that  he  was  awake.  He  did  not  stop 
now  to  think  that  there  might  be  some  one 
else  in  the  room — he  did  not  care  if  there  was. 
It  was  enough  for  him  to  know  that  his  cousin 
stood  in  need  of  assistance.  He  pulled  his 
bowie-knife  from  his  boot,  and  kneeling  down 
by  Frank's  side  quickly  relieved  him  of  his 
bonds.  His  astonishment  at  finding  his  cousin 
there  kept  him  quiet;  but  as  soon  as  he  had 
freed  his  arms,  he  greeted  him  as  though  he 
had  not  met  him  for  years. 

"What  do  you  think  now?"  asked  Archie, 
as  he  assisted  Frank  to  his  feet.  "Don  Carlos' 
connection  with  the  robbers  is  all  in  my  eye, 


170 

isn't  it?  Didn't  I  tell  you  that  they  kept 
Roderick  and  King  James  here,  and  rode  them 
every  night  on  their  plundering  expeditions? 
Well,  it's  a  fact.  I've  seen  the  horses." 

"You  have!"  exclaimed  Frank. 

"Yes,  sir;  and  I've  had  hold  of  them.  I've 
been  on  King  James's  back,  too ;  and  I  tell 
you  it  felt  natural  to  find  myself  flying  through 
the  air  once  more,  like  a  bird  on  the  wing.  I 
would  have  got  them  out  of  here,  if  the  gate 
had  n't  been  shut.  I  am  afraid  you  can't 
stand,"  added  Archie,  who  was  holding  fast  to 
his  cousin's  arm.  "  Your  face  is  all  bloody." 

"It  is  nothing  serious.  If  I  get  a  chance, 
I  will  show  you  that  I  am  still  able  to  beat 
the  swiftest  runner  on  the  ranch o  in  a  fair  race.'* 

"But  you  are  trembling  like  a  leaf,"  con 
tinued  Archie,  anxiously.  "If  you  are  not 
badly  hurt,  what  is  the  matter  with  you  ?  Are 
you  frightened  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  am.  I  wish  we  had  never  come 
near  Don  Carlos'  rancho." 

"  So  do  I.  I  've  wished  that  more  than  a 
hundred  times  during  the  last  hour.  AVe 've 
got  ourselves  into  a  pretty  mess." 


A  COMPANION  IN  TROUBLE.      171 

"And  not  only  ourselves,  but  somebody  else, 
also.  We  have  thus  far  escaped  with  our  lives, 
but  he  did  n't.  He's  dead." 

"He!    Who?" 

"  Dick  Lewis." 

"  Well — by — gracious  !  "  exclaimed  Archie, 
as  soon  as  he  could  speak.  "  Why — how — Eh  ! 
It  can't  be  possible." 

"That  is  just  what  I  thought,  even  while  I 
was  seeing  the  thing  done,"  replied  Frank.  "  He 
was  pulled  down  by  a  lasso  ;  and  the  Mexican 
who  caught  him  wheeled  his  horse  and  galloped 
off,  dragging  Dick  after  him.  If  his  neck  had 
been  made  of  iron,  it  must  have  been  broken." 

"  But  how  did  he  happen  to  be  around  where 
the  Mexicans  were?"  asked  Archie,  who  could 
not  bring  himself  to  believe  his  cousin's  story. 
"  Why  did  n't  he  stay  at  home,  where  he  be 
longed?" 

"  Why  did  n't  we  stay  at  home  where  we  be 
longed?"  retorted  Frank.  "  If  we  had  done 
that,  Dick  would  have  been  alive  and  hearty, 
now.  He  lost  his  life  in  trying  to  save  me, 
But  we  have  wasted  time  enough  in  talking. 
How  did  you  get  in  here?" 


172 

"  I  do  n't  understand  it  at  all,"  said  Archie, 
who  could  not  have  been  more  astounded  and 
terrified  if  he  had  suddenly  been  knocked  over 
by  some  invisible  hand.  "I  shan't  go  on  that 
hunting  expedition  with  Captain  Porter,  even 
if  I  do  recover  my  horse." 

"  If  we  do  n't  find  some  way  to  get  out  of 
this  den  of  robbers,  we  '11  never  have  a  chance 
to  go  with  him,"  replied  Frank.  "How  did 
you  get  in  here?" 

"Didn't  you  hear  me  unlock  the  door? 
I  've  got  a  key  to  every  room  in  the  rancho. 
Well !  Well !  I  can't  get  over  that  piece  of 
news.  I  wish  we  had  a  light." 

"The  men  who  brought  me  in  here  left  their 
lantern,"  said  Frank.  "We  might  look  around 
and  find  it,  but  don't  you  think  it  would  be 
dangerous  to  light  it?" 

"  We  could  n't  be  in  a  worse  fix  than  we  are 
in  now.  We  don't  know  how  many  miles  of 
rooms  and  passage-ways  we  must  travel  through 
before  we  can  get  out  of  here ;  and  I  'd  rather 
be  discovered,  and  take  my  chances  for  escape, 
than  to  run  the  risk  of  breaking  my  neck  be 
fore  I  know  it." 


A  COMPANION  IN  TROUBLE.  173 

The  boys  threw  themselves  on  their  hands 
and  knees,  and  began  creeping  about  the  floor, 
searching  for  the  lantern.  Frank  found  it  at 
last,  and  when  it  had  been  lighted,  Archie 
held  it  up,  and  took  a  good  look  at  his  cousin. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  see  you  here,"  said  he ;  "but 
since  you  are  here,  I  am  glad  I  have  found 
you.  What's  the  first  thing  to  be  done?" 

"Have  you  any  weapons?"  asked  Frank. 
"  These  people  do  n't  seem  to  think  much  of 
me,  and  if  I  am  doomed  to  fall  into  their  hands 
again,  I  want  something  with  which  to  defend 
myself." 

"  You  must  have  had  a  terrible  fight,"  said 
Archie,  again  glancing  at  his  cousin's  face; 
"and  I  should  judge  that  you  had  come  out 
second  best." 

Frank  shrugged  his  shoulders  and  felt  of  his 
head,  but  had  nothing  to  say.  Archie  hesi 
tated  a  moment  before  he  spoke  again.  He 
was  wondering  who  had  got  the  worst  of  the 
encounter — he  or  the  Ranchero.  He  had  not 
quite  made  up  his  mind  which  was  the  most 
severe  punishment — twenty-five  or  thirty  ruts 
over  the  head  and  shoulders  with  a  rawhide, 


174 


or  a  single  well-directed  blow  from  the  but! 
of  a  heavy  pistol,  delivered  with  the  full 
power  of  an  arm  that  was  all  muscle.  After  a 
a  few  seconds7  reflection,  he  decided  that  he 
would  rather  be  in  his  own  boots,  than  in  those 
of  the  man  he  had  knocked  down  ;  and  that, 
taking  all  things  into  consideration,  he  could 
truthfully  say  that  he  had  given  the  mutineer 
a  good  drubbing. 

"I've  just  had  a  terrible  whipping,"  said 
Archie,  "  but  I  did  n't  get  the  worst  of  the 
fight.  I  hit  somebody  a  crack  that  he  will 
remember  for  a  day  or  two,  I  guess.  I  've  got 
plenty  of  weapons — three  pistols  and  a  bowie- 
knife.  Put  this  revolver  in  your  pocket." 

At  this  moment  the  cousins  were  startled 
by  a  noise  at  the  door — not  the  one  by  which 
Archie  had  entered,  but  another  on  the  oppo 
site  side  of  the  room.  Somebody  was  trying 
to  open  it.  The  door  was  not  locked,  but  it 
held  at  the  bottom. 

"We  must  run  for  it  now,"  whispered 
Archie.  "We'll  go  out  at  this  other  door; 
and  by  the  time  he  gets  in  here,  we'll  be  safe 
in  another  hiding-place." 


A  COMPANION  IN  TROUBLE.  175 

Handing  his  lantern  to  his  cousin,  Archie 
pulled  out  his  keys  and  began  fitting  one  to 
the  lock;  but  his  operstions  were  suddenly 
interrupted  by  the  sound  of  voices  and  foot 
steps  in  the  passage,  telling  him  that  the  Ran- 
cheros,  from  whom  he  had  escaped  a  few  min 
utes  before,  were  returning.  Their  retreat  in 
that  direction  was  cut  off.  The  boys  looked 
at  each  other  in  dismay.  There  were  but  two 
doors  in  the  room,  and  while  their  enemies 
were  at  each  one,  which  way  should  they  go? 
The  noise  at  the  door  grew  louder.  Some  one 
was  certainly  trying  to  get  in,  and,  what  was 
more,  he  seemed  determined  to  accomplish 
his  object;  for  his  pulls  at  the  door  grew 
stronger,  and  the  boys  could  hear  him  grum 
bling  to  himself  in  Spanish  because  it  would 
not  open.  It  yielded  a  little  with  every  pull, 
however,  and  it  was  evident  that  he  would 
soon  succeed  in  effecting  an  entrance.  Archie 
drew  his  pistols,  and  looked  to  his  cousin  for 
advice. 

"Put  away  those  weapons,"  said  Frank, 
earnestly.  "If  you  should  fire  one  of  them 
here,  it  would  show  our  enemies  where  we  are, 


176  DON  CARLOS'  KANCIIO. 

and  destroy  our  last  chance  for  escape.  Hide 
yourself,  and  blow  out  that  lantern." 

Archie  had  barely  time  to  act  upon  this  sug 
gestion,  when  the  door  flew  open  with  a  jerk, 
and  looking  over  the  top  of  a  box,  behind 
which  he  had  crept  for  concealment,  he  saw  a 
Mexican  enter  the  room.  By  the  light  of  the 
lantern  he  carried  in  his  hand,  Archie  also  dis 
covered  his  cousin  stretched  upon  the  floor,  his 
feet  crossed,  and  his  hands  placed  behind  his 
back.  The  latter  knew  why  the  Ranchero  had 
some  in  there. 

"You're  safe  yet,  are  you?"  said  the  Mex 
ican.  "That's  all  right.  So  many  strange 
things  have  happened  here  to-night,  that  I 
should  not  have  been  surprised  if  I  had  not 
found  you.  Santa  Maria !  How's  this?" 

The  man  had  bent  over  to  examine  his 
prisoners  bonds,  and  for  the  first  time  discov 
ered  that  he  had  been  liberated.  Astonished 
and  alarmed,  he  acted  upon  his  first  impulse, 
and  started  for  the  door;  but  Archie  was  there 
before  him.  The  Ranchero,  who  was  wholly 
intent  of  making  good  his  retreat,  did  not  see 
him,  however;  and  the  first  intimation  he  had 


ARCHIE  AND  FRANK'S  FIGHT,  WITH  THE   ROBBER. 
CHAP.  XI 


A  COMPANION  IN  TROUBLE.      177 

of  Archie's  presence,  was  a  pair  of  strong  arms 
thrown  around  his  legs,  which  were  pulled 
from  under  him,  causing  him  to  fall  backward 
upon  the  floor.  He  struggled  furiously,  and 
opened  his  lips  to  shout  for  help ;  but,  before 
any  sound  came  forth,  a  hand  grasped  his 
throat,  and  the  cry  was  effectually  stifled. 
12 


178  BOX  CARLOS'  RAXCIIO. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


had  had  some  exciting  adventures 
since  we  last  saw  him,  and  had  witnessed 
scenes  that  it  was  not  probable  he  would  soon 
forget.  We  left  him  standing  face  to  face  with 
one  of  his  pursuers,  whose  gun  was  at  his 
shoulder,  his  finger  on  the  trigger,  and  the 
muzzle  of  the  weapon  pointing  straight  at 
Frank's  breast.  The  chances  of  escape  from 
such  a  situation  were  small  indeed.  True, 
Frank's  revolver  was  safe  in  his  pocket,  and 
he  was  too  sure  a  shot  to  miss  so  large  a  mark 
as  the  Mexican  at  that  distance;  but  he  knew, 
from  the  next  words  his  enemy  spoke,  that  any 
attempt  on  his  part  to  draw  the  weapon,  would 
be  the  signal  for  his  death. 

"Put  your  hands   above  your  head,"  com 
manded  the  Ranchero,  sternly.     "  Now,  if  you 


179 


move  an  eyelid,  I  will  send  a  ball  through 
you." 

The  very  appearance  of  the  man  was  enough 
to  convince  Frank  that  he  would  not  hesitate 
to  carry  his  threat  into  execution,  should  occa 
sion  require  it ;  but,  large  and  strong  as  he 
was,  and  savage  as  he  looked,  he  was  afraid  of 
his  captive,  and  had  no  intention  of  approach 
ing  nearer  to  him  until  he  had  put  it  out  of 
his  power  to  do  any  mischief.  Keeping  his 
eyes  fastened  upon  Frank,  and  holding  his 
gun  in  position  with  one  hand,  he  uncoiled 
with  the  other  a  lasso  which  hung  over  his 
shoulder.  The  prisoner  began  to  tremble  in 
every  limb.  He  understood  the  meaning  of 
this  movement,  and  told  himself  that  there 
would  be  a  desperate  fight  in  those  bushes 
before  the  Mexican  should  use  that  lariat  on 
him.  He  did  not  intend  to  allow  himself  to 
be  strangled  half  to  death  if  he  could  pre 
vent  it.  Having  already  had  some  experience 
in  that  line,  he  did  not  care  to  have  it  re 
peated. 

"  Look  here  ! "  said  he,  when  the  Ranchero, 
after  coiling  a  portion  of  the  lasso  in  his  hand, 


180  DON  CARTXDS'  RANCHO. 

began  swinging  it  around  his  head ;  "don't 
attempt  that." 

"Stand  where  you  arc!"  exclaimed  the 
Mexican. 

"I  haven't  moved  an  inch,  and  I  have  no 
desire  to  do  so,  as  long  as  you  keep  that 
gun  pointed  at  me.  But  you  sha'n't  put  that 
lasso  around  my  neck ;  you  may  depend  upon 
that." 

The  Ranchero  was  evidently  astonished. 
Here  was  a  fellow,  who  acknowledged  himself 
a  prisoner,  and  yet  had  the  audacity  to  tell  his 
captor  what  he  should  do,  and  what  he  should 
not  do.  The  tones  of  Frank's  voice,  his  atti 
tude,  and  the  expression  of  his  countenance, 
all  bore  evidence  to  the  fact  that  he  was  quite 
in  earnest;  and  the  Mexican  seemed  to  be  in 
no  hurry  to  come  to  close  quarters  with  him. 
The  hand  in  which  he  held  the  lasso  fell  to  his 
side,  and  he  stood  looking  at  his  captive,  meas 
uring  him  with  his  eye,  and  trying  to  decide 
upon  some  course  of  action. 

Frank  wras  no  stranger  to  the  Hanchero. 
The  latter  had  often  seen  him,  and  he  had 
heard  of  him,  too.  He  knew  the  particulars 


181 

of  some  of  his  exploits,  and  he  had  a  whole 
some  respect  for  him.  A  boy  who  had  courage 
enough  to  keep  a  secret  with  death  staring  him 
in  the  face,  and  who,  after  being  nearly  stran 
gled,  could  fight  with  the  desperation  which 
Frank  had  exhibited  in  his  encounter  with 
Pierre  Costello,  was  not  one  to  be  approached 
with  impunity.  The  Mexican  had  never  taken 
the  trouble  to  look  closely  at  him  before,  and 
now  he  was  astonished  to  discover  what  a  power 
ful  young  fellow  he  was.  Although  he  was  nol 
quite  seventeen  years  old,  he  stood  five  feel 
nine  inches  in  his  stockings ;  and  the  violent 
sports  and  exercises  to  which  he  had  been  ac 
customcd  from  his  earliest  boyhood,  had  devel 
oped  his  muscles  until  they  were  as  large  ao 
those  of  a  blacksmith.  He  looked  like  a  young 
Hercules  as  he  stood  there,  drawn  up  to  his 
full  height,  his  arms  extended  above  his  head, 
his  hands  clenched,  and  his  fingers  moving 
nervously,  as  though  they  were  aching  to  take 
the  llanchero  by  the  throat. 

"  Had  n't  you  better  make  up  your  mind 
what  you  are  goinf  to  do  about  it?"  asked 
Frank,  who  was  b  ginning  to  get  impatient. 


182  DON  CARLOS'  EANCIIO. 

"  You  might  as  we  1  put  up  that  lasso,  for  you 
shall  never  catch  me  with  it." 

"  Stand  where  you  are ! "  repeated  the  Mexi 
can. 

These  words  were  addressed,  not  to  the  pris 
oner,  but  to  the  empty  air.  The  spot  on  which 
Frank  had  been  standing  was  vacant,  and  he 
had  disappeared  from  the  view  of  his  captor  as 
completely  as  though  he  had  never  been  in  the 
woods  at  all.  While  the  Ranchero  was  looking 
at  Frank,  the  latter  was  narrowly  watching  the 
Ranchero.  lie  kept  his  eyes  fastened  upon  the 
gun,  and  finally  he  saw  the  muzzle  turned  a 
little  aside,  so  that  it  no  longer  pointed  at  his 
breast.  That  was  enough  for  Frank,  who  now 
repeated  the  trick  he  had  tried  with  so  much 
success  upon  Don  Carlos.  Gathering  all  his 
strength  for  the  effort,  he  made  two  or  three 
tremendous  bounds,  and  vanished. 

Like  an  inexperienced  young  sportsman,  who, 
seeing  a  flock  of  quails  suddenly  arise  from  the 
bushes  at  his  very  feet,  stands  gazing  after 
them  with  open  mouth,  too  astonished  to  think 
of  the  gun  he  holds  in  his  hand,  so  stood  the 
Ranchero.  There  was  something  almost  mag- 


183 

ical  in  the  escape  of  his  prisoner.  It  was  so 
sudden  and  unexpected !  There  he  was,  hold 
ing  a  loaded  gun  in  one  hand,  a  lasso  in  the 
other,  and  standing  almost  within  reach  of  his 
prize ;  and  yet  he  had  effectually  eluded  him. 

11  Santa  Maria  ! "  yelled  the  Ranchero,  arous 
ing  himself  as  if  from  a  sound  sleep.  "Stop, 
or  I  fire!'7 

"  Whoop  ! "  yelled  another  voice.  "  Hooray 
fur  the  boy  that  fit  that  ar?  robber  !  Put  in 
your  best  licks,  youngster,  fur  the  timber 's  full 
of  the  varlets." 

How  Frank's  heart  bounded  at  the  tones  of 
that  familiar  voice !  Friends  had  been  near 
him  all  the  while,  and  he  had  not  been  aware 
of  it.  He  could  not,  however,  waste  much  time 
in  thinking  about  the  trapper.  He  had  imag 
ined  that  his  escape  from  the  Ranchero  had 
placed  him  beyond  the  reach  of  danger  for  the 
present,  but  now  he  found  that  he  was  running 
straight  into  it.  There  were  other  persons  in 
the  woods,  of  whose  presence  he  had  been  igno 
rant,  and  now  they  began  to  show  themselves. 
The  trapper's  wild  Indian  yell  was  answered 
by  an  order  shouted  in  Spanish;  and  then  was 


184 

presented  a  scene  that  reminded  Frank  of  some 
passages  in  one  of  his  favorite  books — Sir  Wal 
ter  Scott's  "  Lady  of  the  Lake."  When  the 
outlaw  and  King  James  were  conversing,  and 
the  latter  expressed  a  desire  to  see  the  rebel 
chieftain  and  his  band,  Roderick  gave  one 
shrill  whistle,  and — 

K  Instant,  through  heath  and  copse,  arose 
Bonnets  and  spears  and  bended  bows. 
On  right,  on  left,  above,  below, 
Sprung  up  at  once  the  lurking  foe. 
From  shingles  gray  their  lances  start ; 
The  bracken  bush  sends  forth  the  dart ; 
The  rushes  and  the  willow  wand 
Are  bristling  into  ax  and  brand ; 
And  every  tuft  of  broom  gives  life 
To  plaided  warrior,  armed  for  strife." 

In  short,  the  Scottish  braves  sprung  into  view 
in  a  way  that  was  utterly  bewildering,  and  so 
did  the  men  who  had  been  creeping  up  through 
the  bushes  while  Frank  was  parleying  with  his 
captor.  The  fugitive  had  never  seen  so  many 
Mexicans  together  before,  and  it  was  a  mystery 
where  they  all  came  from.  It  seemed  to  him 
that  every  bush  and  tree  within  the  range  of 


PRANK'S  ADVENTURES.  185 

his  vision,  was  turning  into  a  villainous  look 
ing  Ranchero.  They  arose  on  all  sides,  and 
with  loud  yells  rushed  forward  intent  upon 
capturing  Frank  alive  and  unharmed.  Not  a 
shot  was  fired  at  him,  but  the  trapper  was  a 
target  for  a  dozen  rifles  and  pistols ;  and  some 
of  the  bullets,  that  were  intended  for  him, 
whistled  through  the  bushes  uncomfortably 
near  to  Frank's  head.  If  Archie  had  been  in 
his  cousin's  place  just  then,  he  would  have 
smelt  powder  to  his  heart's  content. 

Frank's  first  impulse  was  to  stop  and  sur 
render  himself  a  prisoner;  but  a  rapid  glance 
around  showed  him  that  one  portion  of  the 
woods  was  still  left  open  to  him.  Toward  this 
he  dashed  with  the  speed  of  a  frightened  deer — 
paying  no  heed  to  the  loud  commands  to  halt 
that  were  shouted  after  him,  but  trembling 
in  every  limb  when  he  heard  the  lassos  of 
his  pursuers  whistling  through  the  air — and 
in  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  he  had 
once  more  distanced  the  fleetest  of  the  herds 
men.  In  ten  minutes  not  one  of  them  was 
to  be  seen  or  heard.  The  reports  of  the  fire 
arms  had  ceased,  the  shouts  had  died  away 


186  DON  CARLOS'  KAN<  HO. 

in  the  distance,  and  the  woods  were  as  silent 
as  midnight. 

Frank  was  now  rapidly  nearing  the  creek — 
the  only  barrier  that  stood  between  him  and 
his  home.  Once  safe  on  the  opposite  shore, 
and  his  escape  was  assured.  The  five  miles 
that  lay  between  the  creek  and  his  uncle's  ran- 
cho,  were  no  obstacle  to  such  a  runner  as  he 
had  proved  himself  to  be.  He  reached  the 
bank  at  last,  and,  without  stopping  to  recon- 
noiter  the  ground  before  him,  dashed  through 
the  bushes  at  the  top  of  his  speed,  and  plunged 
into  the  water.  His  movements  were  so  rapid 
that  the  llancheros,  who  were  concealed  in  the 
bushes  awaiting  his  approach,  did  not  have 
time  to  seize  him  as  he  passed;  but  their  lassos 
wrre  longer  than  their  arms,  and  before  the 
fugitive  had  made  half  a  dozen  strokes,  one  of 
these  dreaded  weapons  flew  through  the  air, 
and  the  noose  settled  around  his  neck.  He 
trir.l  to  avoid  the  danger  by  diving  under  the 
water ;  but  it  was  too  late.  The  lariat  was 
tightened  up  with  a  jerk,  and  he  was  pulled 
b:u-k  to  the  shore,  gasping  for  breath,  and 
struggling  desperately. 


187 


"Here  you  are  again,  Fifty  -Thousand-Dol 
lars,"  exclaimed  a  familiar  voice;  and  the  in 
stant  Frank  touched  the  bank,  a  stalwart  Mex 
ican,  whom  he  recognized  as  the  one  from 
whom  he  had  escaped  a  short  time  before, 
threw  himself  upon  him  and  held  him  fast; 
two  more  bound  him  hand  and  foot ;  while  a 
fourth  searched  all  his  pockets,  and  took  pos 
session  of  his  revolver.  Of  course  he  was 
easily  overpowered,  but  it  was  only  after  a  fu 
rious  and  determined  resistance. 

The  Rancheros  were  very  jubilant  over  their 
success.  They  danced  about  their  captive  like 
so  many  savages ;  and  when  one  seized  him  by 
the  collar  and  jerked  him  to  his  feet,  the  others 
set  up  a  loud  shout  of  triumph.  Then  they 
held  a  hurried  consultation  in  their  native 
tongue,  and  the  prisoner  understood  enough  of 
what  was  said  to  know  that  they  were  talking 
about  the  money  they  expected  to  receive  when 
they  delivered  Frank  into  the  hands  of  Don 
Carlos.  They  seemed  to  be  afraid  that  they 
might  be  called  upon  to  di\7ide  the  reward  with 
some  of  their  companions ;  and,  in  order  to 
avoid  that,  they  told  one  another  that  they 


188 

would  take  their  captive  to  the  rancho  by  some 
round-about  way.  No  sooner  was  this  plan 
agreed  upon,  than  the  Mexicans  proceeded  to 
carry  it  out.  Two  of  them  seized  Frank  by 
the  arms  and  hurried  him  into  the  woods,  drag 
ging  him  roughly  over  fallen  logs,  and  through 
thick  bushes,  which  tore  his  clothing  and 
scratched  him  severely. 

"Now,  see  here,"  he  exclaimed,  when  he 
thought  he  could  no  longer  endure  their  harsh 
treatment;  "  if  you  will  untie  my  feet,  so  that 
I  can  walk,  you  will  save  yourselves  and  me 
a  great  deal  of  trouble." 

The  Mexicans  were  deaf  to  his  words.  They 
did  not  mind  the  trouble  in  the  least.  Their 
prisoner  was  worth  a  fortune  to  them ;  and 
having  seen  him  make  two  remarkable  escapes 
that  night,  they  did  not  intend  to  give  him  an 
opportunity  to  make  another. 

If  they  hoped  to  reach  the  rancho  without 
meeting  any  of  their  companions,  they  wore 
destined  to  be  disappointed  j  for,  when  they 
arrived  at  the  edge  of  the  prairie  where  they 
had  left  their  horses,  they  were  joined  by  throe 
more  of  the  Don's  band,  who,  upon  discovering 


FRANK'S  ADVENTURES.  189 

Frank  again  in  confinement,  set  up  a  terrific 

yell. 

"  No  more  herding  cattle  or  stealing  horses 
for  me/7  cried  one  of  the  new-comers.  "  I  am 
off  for  Frisco  this  very  night." 

"  You  can  go  now,  for  all  we  care/7  growled 
one  of  the  men,  who  was  holding  Frank  by  the 
collar. 

"  Yes,  but  I  want  my  share  of  the  reward 
first." 

"  It 's  little  of  the  reward  you  '11  get.  Must 
A\e  do  all  the  work,  risk  all  the  danger,  and 
then  share  our  hard  earnings  with  you  who 
have  kept  yourselves  out  of  harm's  way  ?  Not 
if  we  know  ourselves." 

This  was  the  beginning  of  an  angry  alterca 
tion,  which  did  not  continue  more  than  a 
minute  before  the  disputants  came  to  blows. 
Frank's  captors  insisted  that  no  one  but  them 
selves  should  touch  a  cent  of  the  money ;  and 
the  new-comers  declared  that  if  they  did  not 
agree  to  divide,  they  should  never  take  their 
prisoner  to  the  rancho.  As  the  debate  pro 
gressed,  the  Mexicans  began  to  grow  angry. 
Their  voices  rose  higher  and  higher;  they 


190 

flourished  their  arms  in  the  air,  and  shook  their 
clenched  hands  in  one  another's  faces ;  and 
finally  one  of  them  drew  his  knife  and  empha 
sized  his  words  by  making  a  savage  thrust  at 
the  man  nearest  him.  That  brought  the  dis 
cussion  to  a  close  at  once;  and  an  instant  after 
ward  Frank  was  standing  there,  the  solitary 
spectator  of  the  most  thrilling  scene  he  had 
ever  witnessed  in  his  life — a  furious  hand-to- 
hand  conflict  among,  the  Rancheros. 

The  rapidity  with  which  this  state  of  affairs 
had  been  brought  about  was  astonishing.  One 
moment  the  Mexicans  were  all  standing  erect, 
engaged  in  an  angry  war  of  words ;  the  next, 
they  were  rolling  about  on  the  ground,  strug 
gling  madly  with  each  other,  pistol  balls  were 
flying  about,  reeking  knife-blades  flashing  in 
the  air,  and  the  woods  were  echoing  with  cries 
of  pain  and  shouts  of  anger.  Frank  stood 
speechless,  almost  breathless,  and  unable  to 
move  hand  or  foot.  He  was  in  danger  of  be 
ing  knocked  down  by  sqme  of  the  struggling 
men,  and  of  being  struck  by  the  bullets  which 
whistled  about  so  recklessly  ;  but  he  could  not 
get  out  of  the  way.  He  never  once  thought 


191 

of  his  own  peril,  for  he  was  too  horrified  at 
what  was  going  on  before  him  to  think  of  any 
thing.  He  was  the  cause  of  all  this  trouble. 
The  herdsmen  were  destroying  one  another  to 
secure  possession  of  the  reward  that  had  been 
oifered  for  him. 

The  fight,  desperate  as  it  was,  did  not  long 
continue.  It  seemed  to  Frank  that  it  had 
scarcely  begun  before  it  was  over.  His  captors 
came  off  victorious,  but  there  were  not  many 
of  them  left  to  rejoice  over  their  success — only 
a  single  man,  who,  as  he  arose  from  the  body 
of  his  late  antagonist,  first  looked  toward  his 
prisoner,  to  satisfy  himself  that  he  was  safe, 
and  then  coolly  ran  his  eye  over  the  prostrate 
forms  around  him.  Frank  expected  to  see  him 
manifest  some  regret  at  the  fate  of  his  compan 
ions,  but  he  did  nothing  of  the  kind.  Pie  did 
not  even  take  the  trouble  to  see  if  any  of  them 
were  still  alive.  He  wiped  his  knife  on  a 
bunch  of  leaves  which  he  pulled  from  a  neigh 
boring  bush,  and  then  hurried  toward  the 
horses,  which  were  tied  to  the  trees  in  the  edge 
of  the  woods.  Mounting  his  own  horse,  he 
rode  up  beside  his  prisoner,  and,  seizing  him 


192 

by  the  collar,  pulled  him  up  in  front  of  him, 
and  laid  him  across  th'e  horn  of  his  saddle,  as 
if  Frank  had  been  a  bag  of  corn,  and  he  was 
about  to  start  off  to  mill  with  him.  Then  he 
spoke  for  the  first  time  since  the  fight,  and 
Frank  knew  why  it  was  that  he  felt  no  regret 
at  the  death  of  his  companions. 

"  The  reward  is  mine,"  said  he,  with  a 
chuckle.  "I  have  no  one  to  divide  with  now." 

lie  dashed  his  spurs  into  the  flanks  of  his 
horse,  and  set  off  at  a  rapid  gallop  toward  the 
rancho,  which  was  in  plain  sight,  and  not  more 
than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  distant.  Frank  turned 
his  eyes  toward  its  gloomy  walls,  and  wondered 
what  sort  of  a  reception  he  would  meet  with 
when  he  arrived  there.  It  was  not  likely  that 
the  Don  would  greet  him  as  kindly  as  he  had 
done  before — that  he  would  conduct  him  into 
the  house  with  ceremony,  and  ask  him  to  make 
himself  comfortable  until  supper  time.  Per 
haps,  in  his  rage,  the  old'  Spaniard  would  dis 
patch  him  at  once.  Frank  was  prepared  for 
the  worst;  but  he  would  have  submitted  1o 
his  fate  with  much  better  grace,  if  his  hands 
and  feet  had  been  unbound  for  one  moment,  so 


193 


that  he  could  have  made  just  one  more  attempt 
at  escape. 

"It's  of  no  use  for  you  to  kick  about  so," 
caul  the  Ranchero,  as  Frank  began  struggling 
\vith  his  bonds.  "You're  as  safe  now  as 
though  you  were  locked  up  in  one  of  Don  Car 
los'  dungeons." 

The  Mexican  was  a  good  deal  surprised  at 
the  reply  his  prisoner  made.  Frank  had  turned 
his  head,  and  was  looking  back  toward  the 
woods,  as  if  he  half  expected  to  see  help  com 
ing  from  that  direction,  and  he  had  discovered 
a  tall  figure  in  buckskin  standing  in  the  bushes. 
A  moment  afterward  a  long  rifle  was  leveled, 
and  Frank  thought  that  the  muzzle  was  pointed 
straight  at  his  head.  That  occasioned  him  no 
uneasiness,  however,  for  he  knew  that  Dick 
Lewis's  eagle  eye  was  glancing  along  the  wea 
pon,  and  that  its  contents  would  do  no  harm 
to  him. 

"  Did  you  ever  see  that  fine  horse  of  mine — 
the  one  you  fellows  stole  from  me?"  asked 
Frank.  "Well,  I  will  stake  him  against  the 
worthless  animal  you  are  riding,  that  you  don't 
take  me  to  Don  Carlos." 
13 


194 

"  Eh  !  "  exclaimed  the  Ranehero,  facing 
quickly  about  in  his  saddle,  and  gazing  luck 
at  the  woods. 

That  move  was  all  that  saved  his  life.  Just 
then  a  sheet  of  flame  shot  out  from  the  bushes, 
and  the  bullet  came  humming  through  the  air; 
but  instead  of  finding  a  lodgment  in  the  body 
of  the  Mexican,  it  was  buried  in  the  brain  of 
the  horse,  which  dropped  dead  in  his  tracks, 
dashing  the  Ranchcro  and  his  prisoner  violently 
to  the  ground. 

Frank,  stunned  by  the  fall,  and  blinded  by 
the  blood  which  flowed  freely  from  a  wound 
on  his  forehead,  could  not  have  told  what  had 
happened.  He  lay  motionless  for  a  moment, 
and  then,  after  a  few  ineffectual  attempts,  suc 
ceeded  in  raising  himself  to  a  sitting  posture, 
and  began  to  look  around  for  his  enemy.  lie 
saw  him  seated  on  the  ground  at  a  little  dis 
tance,  holding  both  hands  to  his  head,  and 
gazing  about  him  with  a  bewildered  air,  as  if 
he  had  not  quite  made  up  his  mind  how  he 
had  come  to  be  unhorsed  so  suddenly.  But  he 
was  not  long  in  comprehending  the  matter. 
Glancing  toward  the  trapper,  who  was  approach- 


FRANK'S  ADVENTURES.  105 

ing  with  long  strides,  and  then  toward  his  pris 
oner,  he  whipped  out  the  knife  which  had  done 
him  such  good  service  in  his  recent  battle. 

"  Santa  Maria  !  "  he  shouted. 

That  was  all  he  said  then,  but  his  actions 
supplied  the  place  of  words,  and  indicated  the 
desperate  resolve  he  had  formed.  He  jumped 
to  his  feet  and  rushed  toward  Frank,  with  his 
knife  uplifted  ready  to  strike. 

"  Whoop  !  Bars  an'  buffaler !  Stop  thar, 
you  tarnal  Greaser ! "  cried  the  trapper.  "If 
you  touch  that  youngster  with  that  weapon, 
I  '11  raise  your  har  fur  you." 

The  Mexican  paid  no  heed  to  the  warning. 
He  came  on  as  fiercely  as  ever,  and  Frank, 
unable  to  lift  a  finger  in  his  own  defense,  sat 
there  on  the  ground  and  watched  those  two 
frantic  men  who  were  racing  toward  him — one 
intent  on  taking  his  life,  the  other  on  saving 
it.  Which  would  reach  him  first ?  The  Mexi 
can  was  the  nearer  to  him,  but  the  fleet-footed 
trapper  was  getting  over  the  ground  at  the 
rate  of  ten  feet  to  his  one.  If  Dick's  rifle  had 
been  loaded,  Frank  would  have  had  no  fears 
as  to  the  result ;  but  the  trusty  old  weapon  was 


196  DON  CAT! LOS*  RAXCIIO. 

empty,  and  his  friend  might  approach  within 
reach  of  him,  and  still  be  unable  to  prevent  the 
Mexican  from  accomplishing  his  purpose. 

"There  are  fifty  thousand  dollars  wrapped 
up  in  your  hide,"  hissed  the  Ranchcro,  "and 
if  I  do  n't  get  it  nobody  shall." 

A  few  hurried  steps  brought  him  to  Frank's 
side,  and,  uttering  a  yell  of  triumph,  he  seized 
him  by  the  throat,  and  threw  him  backward 
upon  the  ground.  Frank  saw  him  shake  the 
knife  at  the  trapper,  and  when  it  was  raised 
above  his  breast,  he  closed  his  eyes  that  he 
might  not  see  it  when  it  descended.  But  the 
knife  never  touched  him.  Something  fell  heav 
ily  upon  him,  and  when  he  opened  his  eyes  he 
saw  the  Mexican  lying  motionless  by  his  side, 
and  Dick  Lewis  bending  over  him. 

The  trapper's  tomahawk,  thrown  with  un 
erring  aim,  had  saved  Frank's  life. 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE.  197 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE. 

"  T)  ARS  an7  buifaler  !  You  keerlcss  feller ! » 
exclaimed  the  trapper,  pulling  out  his 
knife  and  liberating  Frank's  hands  and  feet. 
"  I  reckon  you  \re  seed  fun  enough  fur  one  day, 
haint  you  ?  You  '11  never  come  nigher  to  bein' 
rubbed  out  nor  you  were  a  minit  ago  without 
goin';  I  can  tell  you  that.  Now  toddle.  We 
aint  out  of  danger  yet,  by  no  means." 

There  was  no  time  for  greetings  and  congrat 
ulations.  Scarcely  had  the  trapper  lifted  Frank 
to  his  feet,  when  a  clatter  of  hoofs  was  heard, 
and  upon  looking  up  the  two  friends  saw  a  squad 
of  Rancheros  coming  toward  them  at  the  top  of 
their  speed.  Frank,  without  an  instant's  hesi 
tation,  acted  upon  the  trapper's  suggestion,  and 
started  for  the  woods ;  while  Dick  ran  off  in  the 
opposite  direction,  loading  his  rifle  as  he  went. 


198 

Frank,  wearied  with  his  former  exertions, 
and  aching  in  every  limb  from  the  effects  of 
the  rough  treatment  he  had  received  at  the 
nands  of  his  enemies,  was  in  no  condition  for 
a  long  run ;  but,  even  had  he  been  in  the  best 
of  trim,  he  could  not  have  hoped  to  escape. 
The  Rancheros  were  mounted,  and  they  had 
thrown  themselves  between  him  and  the  woods. 
Still,  he  exerted  himself  to  the  utmost,  and  his 
speed,  although  greatly  diminished,  would  have 
carried  him  ahead  of  every  one  of  his  enemies 
had  they  been  on  foot.  But  the  swift  horses 
quickly  overtook  him,  and  one  of  his  pursuers, 
without  in  the  least  slackening  his  pace,  gal 
loped  up  beside  him  and  seized  him  with  both 
hands. 

"  You're  caught  now,"  said  he,  in  a  tone  of 
great  satisfaction,  "and  I  am  a  poor  herdsman 
no  longer.  I  'm  rich." 

The  Ranchero  did  not  attempt  to  lift  Frank 
upon  his  horse,  but  held  fast  to  his  collar,  and 
dragged  him  over  the  ground.  He  went  at  the 
top  of  his  speed,  and  whenever  Frank  tried  to 
regain  his  feet,  so  that  he  could  run  along  be- 
eide  his  captor,  the  latter  would  touch  his  horse 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE.  199 

with  his  spurs,  and  the  animal  would  spring 
forward  so  suddenly  that  Frank  would  be 
thrown  back  again.  It  was  a  most  uncomfort 
able  and  painful  situation  to  be  in,  but,  strange 
as  it  may  appear,  Frank  made  no  attempt  at 
escape ;  indeed,  he  scarcely  bestowed  a  thought 
upon  himself.  A  scene  which  he  had  witnessed 
just  after  his  enemy  seized  him,  had  deprived 
him  of  every  particle  of  courage  and  strength. 
He  had  seen  the  friend  who  had  stood  by  him 
through  innumerable  dangers  strangled  before 
his  very  eyes. 

We   said  that,  when  Frank  ran  toward  the 

• 

woods,  the  trapper  started  off  in  the  opposite 
direction.  He  had  done  this,  hoping  to  draw 
the  attention  of  the  Mexicans  to  himself,  and 
thus  give  Frank  a  chance  for  escape.  He  had 
succeeded  in  one  part  of  his  object,  and  failed 
in  the  other.  Three  of  the  Rancheros  wheeled 
their  horses  and  started  in  pursuit  of  him, 
while  the  others  kept  on  after  Frank.  They 
had  no  desire  to  take  the  trapper  alive,  for  the 
Don  had  not  offered  a  reward  of  fifty  thousand 
dollars  for  him;  but  they  believed  that  he  was 
quite  as  dangerous  to  them  as  Frank  was,  for 


200  DON   i/AIM.os'   11ANCHO. 

he  was  acquainted  with  their  secret.  They  had 
tried  their  best  to  shoot  him  when  they  met 
him  in  the  woods,  but  Dick  had  escaped  un 
hurt.  Now  they  had  caught  him  on  the  open 
prairie,  where  they  could  use  their  lassos,  and 
they  were  determined  that  he  should  not  return 
home  to  tell  his  friends  what  he  knew  about 
Don  Carlos  and  his  rancho.  They  charged 
toward  the  trapper  with  loud  yells,  discharging 
their  pistols  at  him  with  one  hand,  and  swing 
ing  their  lariats  around  their  heads  with  the 
other.  One  of  their  number  rode  to  his  death, 
for  when  Dick's  rifle  cracked,  the  foremost 
Mexican  threw  up  his  arms,  and  fell  heavily 
from  his  saddle;  but  before  the  trapper  could 
turn  to  run,  a  lasso  was  thrown  over  his  head, 
and  he  was  pulled  to  the  ground.  A  yell  of 
defiance  rang  out  on  the  air,  and  then  the  Ran- 
chero  wheeled  his  horse  and  galloped  off,  drag 
ging  his  victim  after  him. 

Frank  could  scarcely  credit  his  senses.  Was 
it  possible  that  the  redoubtable  Dick  Lewis, 
the  hero  of  a  thousand  desperate  encounters, 
had  met  his  match  at  last,  and  in  these  cow 
ardly  Mexicans,  too?  It  did  not  seem  to  him 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE.  201 

that  it  could  be  so,  and  yet  the  whole  thing 
had  transpired  in  plain  view.  If  Dick  had 
possessed  the  strength  of  a  dozen  men,  he  could 
not  have  escaped  while  that  lasso  was  around 
his  neck.  Beyond  a  doubt,  Frank  had  seen 
the  last  of  him.  The  brave  fellow  had  lost  his 
life  in  trying  to  save  him,  and  the  boy  could 
not  have  been  more  horrified  if  he  had  heard 
his  own  doom  pronounced.  He  closed  his  eyes, 
that  he  might  not  see  the  terrible  sight;  and 
when  he  opened  them  again,  his  captor  was  on 
the  point  of  dragging  him  into  the  woods. 
Still  urging  his  horse  forward  with  reckless 
speed,  he  now  lifted  Frank  from  the  ground 
and  laid  him  across  the  horn  of  his  saddle  and 
held  him  there  with  one  hand,  while,  with  the 
other,  he  guided  his  horse  through  the  bushes. 
Arriving  at  the  creek,  he  dashed  in,  and  upon 
reaching  the  opposite  bank,  again  entered  the 
woods,  and  continued  his  flight  as  rapidly  as 
ever. 

All  this  while  the  prisoner's  mind  had  been 
so  fully  occupied  with  the  scene  he  had  wit 
nessed  on  the  prairie,  that  he  scarcely  knew 
what  was  going  on;  but  now  lie  became  aware 


202  DON  CARLOS'  KANCIIO. 

that  his  captor  was  not  taking  him  to  the  ran- 
cho,  but  that  he  was  making  the  best  of  his 
way  toward  the  mountains.  Frank  was  at  a 
loss  how  to  account  for  this,  until  he  glanced 
at  the  dark,  lowering  face  above  him.  Could 
he  believe  his  eyes?  He  raised  his  head  and 
looked  again ;  and  it  is  hard  to  tell  whether 
he  was  the  more  astonished  or  alarmed.  That 
one  look  was  enough  to  satisfy  him  that  his 
troubles  were  but  just  beginning.  He  would 
much  rather  have  found  himself  in  the  power 
of  Don  Carlos,  than  in  the  hands  of  the  man 
who  was  bending  over  him. 

"Ah!  You  know  me,  do  you?"  exclaimed 
the  Mexican,  glancing  triumphantly  down  at 
his  captive.  "I'm  glad  to  meet  you  again." 

"Pierre  Costello!"  cried  Frank,  in  dismay. 

"Ay  !  It's  Pierre,  alive  and  well,  no  thanks 
to  you  or  your  friends ! " 

Frank  gazed  long  and  earnestly  at  the 
Ranchero.  The  last  time  he  saw  him  he  was 
on  his  way  to  the  prison  at  San  Diego,  bound 
hand  and  foot,  and  guarded  by  trusty  men  ; 
but  here  he  was,  in  full  possession  of  his 
liberty,  and  ready  to  carry  out  the  scheme 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE.  203 

in  which  he  had  been  foiled  a  few  weeks  be 
fore. 

"  Oh,  it  's  I,"  said  the  robber,  seeing  that  his 
prisoner  was  looking  at  him  in  utter  bewilder 
ment.  "  We  were  pretty  well  acquainted  at 
one  time,  and  it  is  strange  that  you  do  not 
recognize  me." 

"  I  would  know  that  villainous  face  of  yours 
among  a  thousand,"  replied  Frank.  "I  was 
wondering  how  you  escaped  from  the  prison." 

"Easy  enough.  It  wasn't  strong  enough  to 
hold  me — that's  all.  I  didn't  stay  there  three 
days.  I  came  back  here,  and  set  myself  to 
watch  you ;  and  now  that  I  have  found  you,  I 
do  not  intend  to  lose  sight  of  you  very  soon. 
When  the  Don  gives  me  the  reward  he  has 
offered  for  you,  I  will  deliver  you  up  to  him. 
I  am  taking  you  to  the  mountains,  because  I 
want  to  see  the  color  of  the  money,  before  I 
give  you  up ;  and  because  I  do  n't  want  to  be 
compelled  to  divide  with  any  one." 

There  was  no  need  that  Pierre  should  take 
the  trouble  to  explain  his  plans.  Frank  knew 
what  they  were  before  he  said  a  word  about 
them,  and  he  could  see  no  way  to  prevent  them 


204 

from  being  carried  out.  He  was  satisfied  that 
it  was  quite  useless  to  think  of  escape,  and 
knowing  that  it  would  be  the  height  of  folly 
to  provoke  Pierre's  anger,  he  did  not  make  the 
slightest  show  of  resistance. 

"  I  shall  always  hold  a  grudge  against  you/' 
said  the  Ranchero,  tightening  his  grasp  on 
Frank's  collar,  "  and,  if  it  were  not  for  the 
money  you  are  worth,  I  would  settle  accounts 
with  you  in  a  hurry.  I  'vc  had  two  chances 
to  make  myself  rich,  but  you  knocked  my  cal 
culations  higher  than  a  kite.  I  am  all  right 
now,  however,  and  if  I  ever  meet  you,  after  I 
deliver  you  up  to  Don  Carlos,  you  are  a  goner. 
But  that  is  not  at  all  likely,"  added  the  Mex 
ican,  "  for  when  the  gate  of  that  rancho  once 
closes  upon  you,  it  will  never  open  for  you 
again.  The  Don  knows  how  to  deal  with  men 
who  learn  his  secrets.  You  are  always  med 
dling  with  other  people's  business,  but  you 
have  done  it  now  for  the  last  time." 

Frank  listened  in  silence  to  this  dishearten 
ing  speech,  and  told  himself  that  this  was  the 
worst  predicament  he  had  ever  got  into.  AVhen 
he  was  delivered  into  the  Don's  hands,  (lie 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE.  205 

latter  would  make  an  end  of  him ;  and  if  he 
did  not,  Pierre  would.  It  was  plain  that  if 
his  captor  could  have  his  own  way  in  the  mat 
ter,  Frank  had  not  much  longer  to  live. 

The  course  which  Pierre  was  taking  to  reach 
the  mountains,  lay  through  a  dense  forest, 
which,  even  in  the  day-time,  was  almost  im 
passable  for  horsemen.  He  might  have  chosen 
an  easier  route,  but  knowing  that  he  would  be 
followed  by  his  companions,  who  would  not 
willingly  surrender  their  claims  to  a  share  of 
the  reward,  he  kept  in  the  deepest  part  of  the 
woods  to  elude  their  pursuit.  His  horse  went 
at  the  top  of  his  speed,  and  Frank  was  jolted 
about,  and  dashed  against  the  trees,  until  it 
seemed  to  him  that  he  could  not  possibly  sur 
vive  a  moment  longer.  To  his  great  relief, 
Pierre  brought  him  to  the  edge  of  the  woods 
at  last ;  and  after  carrying  him  some  distance 
up  a  ravine,  stopped  his  horse,  and  began  mak 
ing  preparations  to  bind  his  captive. 

"  I  shall  leave  you  here  for  an  hour  or  two," 
said  he.  "I  am  going  back  to  the  Don,  and, 
if  he  comes  down  with  the  fifty  thousand,  I  '11 
turn  you  over  to  him;  and  if  he  doesn't,  you 


206  DON  CARLOS    RANC'IIO. 

and  I  will  lead  a  free  and  easy  life  here  in 
the  mountains,  until  your  uncle  ransoms  you. 
I've  got  two  strings  to  my  bow  this  time," 

Pierre  pulled  his  prisoner  to  a  tree,  to  which 
he  tied  him  securely  with  his  lasso,  Frank  of 
fering  no  resistance.  He  was  too  weak  to  lift 
a  finger  in  his  defense,  and,  as  for  remon 
strance,  he  knew  that  would  be  useless,  and  so 
he  held  his  peace. 

"  You  take  it  very  coolly,'7  remarked  Pierre. 
"Why  don't  you  say  something?" 

"  If  I  had  n't  been  knocked  about  until  the 
strength  was  all  beaten  out  of  me,  I  should 
have  done  something  before  this  time,"  replied 
Frank,  boldly.  "Give  me  my  liberty,  and 
fifteen  minutes'  rest,  and  I'll  make  trouble 
for  you." 

"H'm!"  said  Pierre.  "I  can't  see  it. 
You  have  made  trouble  enough  for  me  al 
ready." 

"And  you  haven't  seen  the  last  of  me  yet," 
added  Frank. 

"  I  know  it.  I  told  you  that  I  should  come 
back  to  you,  didn't  I?" 

"I  mean  that  you  wrill  meet  me  under  very 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE.  207 

different  circumstances.     We  will  change  places 
in  less  than  twenty-four  hours." 

Frank  said  this  with  no  other  object  in 
view,  than  to  let  Pierre  know  that  he  still 
kept  up  a  brave  heart,  if  the  future  was  dark 
before  him.  There  was  nothing  in  his  pros 
pects,  just  then,  to  encourage  the  hope  that  he 
and  his  enemy  would  "change  places,"  and  he 
little  dreamed  that  such  would  be  the  case; 
but,  after  all,  something  very  like  it  did  hap 
pen,  and  in  less  than  half  the  time  Frank  had 
mentioned.  Pierre,  however,  happy  in  the  be 
lief  that  his  dreams  of  wealth  were  about  to  be 
realized,  had  no  misgivings.  He  laughed  at 
his  prisoner's  warning,  and  springing  into  his 
saddle,  disappeared  in  the  darkness.  Frank 
listened  to  the  sound  of  his  horse's  feet  until 
it  died  away  in  the  distance,  and  then  rested 
his  aching  head  against  the  tree,  and  thought 
over  his  situation.  What  an  eventful  day  it 
had  been  !  What  astonishing  adventures  had 
been  crowded  into  the  short  space  of  ten  hours ! 
Frank's  mind  was  in  a  perfect  whirl ;  and,  if 
he  could  have  freed  his  hands,  he  would  have 
pinched  himself  to  see  if  he  was  really  wide 


208  DON  CAUL.OS'  RANCIIO. 

awake,  But,  after  all,  he  knew  that  the  events 
uf  the  day  were  no  dream — his  aching  limbs 
and  throbbing  head  assured  him  of  that.  The 
fight  with  Old  Davy,  Archie's  mishap,  and  his 
mysterious  disappearance  at  Don  Carlos'  ran- 
cho,  the  death  of  the  trapper,  and  the  unex 
pected  encounter  with  Pierre  Costello — all  were 
realities.  It  was  no  dream,  either,  that  he  had 
been  bound  to  a  tree  and  left  in  those  dark 
woods;  and  it  was  equally  certain  that  he  was 
not  the  only  living  thing  there.  He  heard  a 
stealthy  step  on  the  leaves,  and  a  moment  after 
ward,  saw  a  pair  of  eyes,  which  shone  like  two 
coals  of  fire,  glaring  at  him  from  a  thicket  not 
far  distant. 

"It's  a  panther!"  exclaimed  Frank,  trem 
bling  all  over  with  terror,  and  much  more 
alarmed  now  than  he  had  been  when  he  found 
himself  in  the  power  of  his  old  enemy;  "and 
here  I  am  perfectly  helpless.  Hi !  hi !  " 

Acting  upon  his  first  impulse,  which  was 
to  frighten  away  his  disagreeable  neighbor, 
he  uttered  a  series  of  yells  which  awoke  the 
echoes  far  and  near.  The  result  greatly  as 
tonished  him.  An  answering  shout  came  from 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE.  209 

the  farther  end  of  the  ravine,  and  hasty  foot 
steps  were  heard  approaching.  Frank's  heart 
beat  high  with  hope.  Had  friends  been  fol 
lowing  him?  More  likely  they  were  some  of 
the  settlers,  who  had  been  out  hunting,  and 
were  returning  to  their  homes.  In  either  case 
he  would  soon  be  free  once  more,  and  his  first 
care  would  be  to  show  Pierre  that,  if  he  had 
come  back  to  the  settlement,  expecting  to  have 
things  all  his  own  way,  he  had  reckoned  with 
out  his  host.  He  shouted  again,  and  the  eyes 
in  the  bushes  disappeared,  and  he  heard  the 
panther  bounding  up  the  mountain. 

"  Hallo ! "  called  a  voice  through  the  dark 
ness. 

" Hallo !"  replied  Frank.  "This  way.  Here 
I  am." 

The  unknown  persons  were  prompt  to  an 
swer  the  call,  and  came  through  the  bushes 
with  all  possible  speed.  Presently,  Frank  saw 
two  dark  forms  approaching,  and  in  a  few 
seconds  they  were  close  at  his  side,  and  peer 
ing  into  his  face.  Why  was  it  that  he  did  not 
speak  to  them  and  tell  them  what  had  hap 
pened  to  him?  Simply  because  there  was  no 
14 


210  DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

need  of  it.  The  men  knew  quite  as  much  about 
it  as  he  did.  He  had  seen  them  before,  and 
knew  that  they  were  members  of  Don  Carlos' 
band.  The  first  words  they  uttered  explained 
their  presence  there,  and  told  Frank  that  they 
perfectly  understood  the  matter. 

"  Pierre  thinks  he  is  smart,"  said  one,  unty 
ing  the  lasso  with  which  Frank  was  bound  to 
the  tree ;  "  but  he  will  find  that  there  are  men 
in  the  world  as  sharp  as  he  is.  AVe  knew 
what  was  up  when  we  saw  him  ride  into  the 
woods,  instead  of  going  toward  the  rancho. 
He  tried  to  swindle  us  out  of  our  share  of  the 
money,  and  now  we  will  see  how  much  of  it 
he'll  get." 

In  less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  it,  Frank 
had  been  tied  upon  a  horse  behind  one  of  the 
Mexicans,  and  was  being  carried  back  to  the 
rancho.  He  did  not  experience  much  incon 
venience  from  the  ride,  for  the  Mexicans  trav 
eled  slowly,  and  avoided  the  woods  altogether. 
At  the  end  of  half  an  hour  they  stopped  in 
front  of  the  walls  of  the  rancho;  and  when  the 
ponderous  gate  closed  behind  him,  Frank  shud 
dered  and  thought  of  the  prediction  Pierre  had 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE.  211 

made.  He  glanced  around  the  court,  and  saw 
that  it  was  lighted  up  by  numerous  dark-lan 
terns,  and  filled  with  men,  who  seemed  to  be 
highly  excited  and  enraged  about  something. 
They  were  all  talking  at  the  top  of  their 
voices,  and  the  babel  of  English  and  Spanish 
was  almost  deafening.  Archie  had  been  the 
cause  of  this  disturbance.  Not  more  than  half 
an  hour  before  he  had  been  flying  about  that 
court  with  all  the  speed  his  horse  could  com 
mand ;  and,  having  failed  in  his  attempt  a^ 
escape,  he  had  taken  refuge  in  the  house.  The 
Mexicans  had  seen  him  run  through  the  hall, 
and  into  the  Don's  reception-room,  and  had, 
of  course,  expected  to  capture  him  there;  but 
they  found  the  room  empty,  and  could  not 
imagine  where  Archie  had  gone.  His  disap 
pearance  astonished  and  alarmed  them.  They 
did  not  know  that  he  was  acquainted  with  the 
secret  of  that  spring  in  the  painting  of  the  In 
dian  warrior. 

Conspicuous  among  a  group  of  men  who 
occupied  the  center  of  the  court,  stood  the 
Don,  who  was,  if  possible,  more  excited  and 
noisy  than  any  of  his  band.  He  looked  up 


212 

when  Frank's  captors  stopped  in  front  of  him, 
and  rubbed  his  hands  gleefully  together. 

"Ach!  Here  is  von  of  dese  leetle  pays/' 
said  he.  "  Now  dis  ish  all  right !  " 

As  soon  as  the  lasso,  with  which  Frank  was 
confined  to  the  horse,  had  been  untied,  he  was 
assisted  rather  roughly  to  the  ground.  He  put 
on  a  bold  front,  and  unflinchingly  met  the 
angry  glances  that  were  directed  toward  him 
from  all  sides ;  but  his  heart  was  sinking  with 
in  him,  and  he  waited  anxiously  for  the  chief 
to  speak. 

"Vel,"  said  the  latter,  at  length,  "you  peen 
trying  to  shpy  out  somethings  about  mine 
house,  aint  it?  You  peen  von  grand,  leetle 
rascal.  Yare  ish  dis  other  leetle  poys? 

"  Who — Archie  ?  I  do  n't  know  where  he 
is ;  and,  if  I  did,  it  is  not  likely  that  I  should 
tell  you.  I  hope  he  is  safe  at  home." 

"Oh  no,  he  don't  peen  at  home,"  said  the 
Don,  shaking  his  head  vehemently;  "he  ish 
somevares  in  dis  house.  Dake  him  down  and 
lock  h;m  up." 

The  chiefs  loo'ks  had  prepared  Frank  for 
eome  terrible  sentence.  He  would  not  have 


AN  OLD  ACQUAINTANCE.  213 

been  much  surprised  if  he  had  heard  that  he 
was  to  be  hanged  or  shot  immediately ;  but, 
when  he  found  that  he  was  to  be  locked  up,  his 
courage  rose  again,  and  he  began  to  indulge  in 
the  hope  that  a  chance  for  escape  might  yet  be 
offered  him.  In  obedience  to  the  Don's  order, 
the  Rancheros  conducted  him  to  one  of  the 
rooms  in  the  underground  portion  of  the  ran- 
cho,  and  after  tying  him  hand  and  foot,  left  him 
to  his  meditations.  But  he  was  not  destined  to 
remain  there  long,  for  Archie  fortunately  stum 
bled  upon  him  and  released  him. 

We  left  the  boys  struggling  with  the  Ran- 
chero  who  had  come  in  to  satisfy  himself  that 
Frank  had  not  yet  found  means  to  eifect  his 
escape.  Archie  was  holding  fast  to  his  legs, 
and  Frank  had  grasped  him  by  the  throat  and 
stifled  his  cry  for  help. 

"  1  can  hold  him  now,"  said  the  latter. 
"  Shut  that  door,  and  get  something  to  tie  him 
with." 

The  ropes  with  which  Frank  had  been  bound 
were  brought  into  requisition,  and  in  a  few 
seconds,  the  Mexican,  in  spite  of  his  furious 
struggles,  was  helpless.  Archie  had  shown 


214 

considerable  generalship  in  the  part  he  had 
played  in  this  transaction.  If  the  Ranchero 
had  been  permitted  to  return  to  his  friends,  he 
would,  of  course,  have  informed  them  that 
Frank  had  been  liberated  by  somebody,  and 
that  would  have  told  the  Don  just  where  to 
search  for  Archie.  He  knew  that  Archie  was 
somewhere  in  the  rancho,  but  thus  far  he  had 
been  unable  to  get  on  the  track  of  him.  The 
building  was  large,  the  underground  rooms  and 
passage-ways  numerous,  the  doors  all  locked, 
and  as  long  as  the  boys  could  keep  their  ene 
mies  from  learning  their  exact  whereabouts, 
there  was  little  danger  of  capture. 

"Now,  then,  what  is  to  be  done  with  this 
fellow?"  asked  Frank,  when  his  cousin  had 
securely  bound  the  prisoner. 

"Let's  give  him  one  for  Dick  Lewis/'  said 
Archie,  brandishing  his  heavy  pistol  in  the  air. 
"A  crack  over  the  head  with  this  would  do 
him  a  wonderful  sight  of  good." 

"No!  no!"  exclaimed  Frank.  "He  took 
no  part  in  that  aifair." 

"  No  doubt  he  would  if  he  had  had  the  chance. 
Lot's  lock  him  in  here,  and  leave  him." 


AN    DLD  ACQUAINTANCE.  215 

"He'll  call  for  help,  won't  he?" 
"  We  do  n't  care  if  he  does.  Even  if  he  suc 
ceeds  in  making  himself  heard  through  these 
thick  walls,  his  friends  can't  release  him  until 
they  have  cut  down  one  of  these  doors ;  and 
by  the  time  they  get  that  done,  we  may  be  out 
of  this  den  of  robbers,  and  half  way  home." 

Archie  began  trying  his  keys  in  the  lock  of 
of  the  door,  and  finally  found  one  that  would 
fit  it.  Then,  after  the  prisoner  had  been  pulled 
into  one  corner,  the  cousins  passed  out  of  the 
room,  looking  the  door  after  them. 


216 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  DON  IN  TROUBLE. 

"WHAT  is  to  be  clone  now?"  asked  Frank, 
as  he  and  Archie  walked  slowly  along 
the  dark  passage-way. 

"There's  only  one  thing  we  can  do,"  replied 
the  latter,  "and  that  is,  to  explore  every  room 
we  come  to  until  we  find  our  way  out  of  the 
ram-no.    Of  course  there  is  danger  in  it,  but — 
There's  one  of  the  rascals!" 

A  slight  noise,  a  little  in  advance  of  them, 
attracted  the  attention  of  Archie,  who  elevated 
his  lantern,  and  peered  through  the  darkness 
just  in  time  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  a  Ranchero, 
running  swiftly  toward  the  other  end  of  the 
passage.  Frank's  revolver  wras  cocked  and  lev 
eled  in  an  instant,  but  he  was  too  late  to  stop 
the  man,  who  had  no  sooner  been  discovered 
than  he  vanished  from  their  sight.  He  did 


THE  L)ON  IN  TROUBLE.  217 

not  go  far,  however,  but  stopped  at  the  end  of 
the  passage,  and  keeping  his  eyes  fastened  upon 
Archie's  lantern,  called  loudly  for  help. 

"  We're  discovered  at  last,"  whispered  Frank. 

"But  we're  not  caught,"  was  Archie's  en 
couraging  reply.  " Let's  go  into  this  room." 

Archie  had  noticed  one  thing  that  night, 
and  that  was,  that  the  greater  the  hurry  he 
was  in  to  find  a  key  to  open  any  of  the  doors, 
the  more  time  he  wasted  in  finding  it.  There 
must  have  been  twenty-five  or  thirty  keys  on 
the  bunch,  and  he  tried  nearly  all  of  them,  be 
fore  he  found  one  that  would  turn  the  bolt. 
His  hand  trembled  so  violently  that  he  could 
scarcely  insert  the  keys  into  the  lock,  and,  in 
his  haste,  he  dropped  the  bunch  more  than 
once. 

"How  thankful  I  would  be  if  that  fellow 
should  lose  the  power  of  speech  for  about  five 
minutes,"  said  Archie,  who  seemed  to  be  very 
much  disconcerted  by  the  Mexican's  furious 
yells.  "I  might  as  well  give  it  up,"  he  added, 
in  despair.  "If  the  right  key  is  on  this  bunch, 
I  can't  find  it." 

"  Never  say  die,"  replied  Frank,  who  stood 


218  DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

close  at  his  cousin's  side,  holding  the  lantern 
in  one  hand,  and  his  revolver  in  the  other. 
"We'll  not  give  up  until  we  are  bound  hand 
and  foot," 

All  this  while  the  Mexican  had  never  once 
ceased  his  calls  for  assistance.  He  kept  up  a 
continuous  roar,  and  presently  answering  shouts, 
and  the  tramping  of  numerous  feet,  told  the 
fugitives  that  he  had  succeeded  in  attracting 
the  attention  of  some  of  his  companions.  The 
reinforcements  came  on  rapidly,  and  arrived  in 
sight,  and  Archie  had  not  yet  been  able  to  find 
a  key  that  would  open  the  door. 

"Take  it  easy,"  said  Frank,  who  began  to 
fear  that  his  cousin's  nervousness  and  impa 
tience  would  prove  their  ruin.  He  spoke  calmly 
enough,  but  his  face  was  very  pale,  and  the  lan 
tern  trembled  in  his  grasp.  This  was  the  se 
verest  test  that  had  been  applied  to  his  courage 
since  he  stood  at  that  log  awaiting  the  approach 
of  the  wounded  and  enraged  grizzly ;  and  yet 
lie  could  speak  in  his  ordinary  tone  of  voice, 
without  the  least  impatience,  and  advise  his 
terrified  and  excited  cousin  to  "take  it  easy." 
It  showed  what  nerve  he  had.  He  was  getting 


THE  DON  IN  TEOUBLE.  219 

desperate ;  and  while  lie  kept  one  eye  upon 
Archie,  and  the  other  turned  toward  the  farther 
end  of  the  passage,  he  was  calculating  his 
chances  for  emptying  his  six-shooter  among 
the  Mexicans,  before  they  could  close  around 
him.  "There  is  nothing  to  be  gained  by  being 
in  such  a  hurry/7  he  added,  as  his  cousin  once 
more  dropped  the  keys.  "The  more  haste  the 
less  speed,  you  know." 

At  this  moment  .lights  flashed  in  the  passage, 
and  dark  forms  came  on  at  a  rapid  run.  The 
prospect  was  certainly  disheartening.  Their 
only  chance  for  escape  was  through  that  door, 
which  refused  to  open  for  them,  and  there  were 
their  enemies,  at  least  half  a  dozen  of  them,  not 
more  than  twenty  feet  distant.  But  their  good 
fortune  had  not  yet  deserted  them.  The  right 
key  was  found,  just  in  the  nick  of  time — not  a 
single  instant  too  soon — the  door  flew  open, 
and  Frank  and  Archie,  uttering  a  simultaneous 
cry  of  joy,  slipped  through  and  slammed  it  be 
hind  them.  The  moment  it  was  closed  Frank 
braced  himself  against  it,  and  Archie  inserted 
the  key  into  the  lock;  but,  before  he  could  turn 
the  bolt,  a  strong  hand  grasped  the  latch,  and 


220  DON  CARLOS'  RANOIIO. 

a  stalwart  Mexican  threw  his  weight  against 
the  door,  which  was  forced  partly  open,  in  spite 
of  all  Frank's  efforts  to  prevent  it.  A  moment 
afterward,  a  hand  holding  a  murderous  looking 
bowie-knife  appeared,  followed  first  by  a  dark, 
scowling  face,  and  then  by  a  pair  of  broad 
shoulders.  One  of  the  Mexicans,  who  had 
reached  the  door  a  little  in  advance  of  his  com 
panions,  was  trying  to  squeeze  himself  into  the 
the  room ;  and  he  seemed  in  a  fair  way  to  ac 
complish  his  object. 

"  Here 's  fifty  thousand  dollars,"  said  he,  ex- 
ultingly.  "Come  here,  somebody.  He's  got  a 
pistol." 

The  boys  jammed  the  door  against  the  Ran- 
chero,  with  all  their  strength,  but  he  was  a 
match  for  both  of  them,  and  besides  he  had  a 
great  advantage.  Frank  and  Archie  could  find 
no  foothold  upon  the  hard  dirt  floor.  Their 
feet  slipped  about  in  every  direction,  and  the 
Mexican,  having  braced  himself  against  the 
door-post,  was  slowly  but  surely  pushing  them 
back.  He  would  certainly  have  succeeded  iu 
worki  ig  his  way  into  the  room,  had  it  not  beeii 
for  Frank's  revolver.  The  sight  of  lift  cocked 


THE  DON  IN  TROUBLE.  221 

weapon,  thrust  full  in  his  face,  drove  him  back, 
and  before  the  rest  of  the  Mexicans  could  come 
to  his  assistance,  the  door  was  closed  and  fas 
tened. 

"  Whew  ! "  whispered  Archie,  drawing  a  long 
breath,  and  wiping  the  big  drops  of  perspira 
tion  from  his  forehead,  "that  was  a  close  shave, 
was  n't  it  ?  It  does  n't  seem  to  suit  them  very- 
well." 

If  one  might  judge  by  the  uproar  that  arose 
in  the  passage,  the  Mexicans  were  certainly 
very  much  disappointed.  They  yelled  at  the 
top  of  their  lungs,  and  some  struck  the  door 
with  their  knives,  while  others  threw  them 
selves  against  it  and  tried  to  burst  it  open. 
But  that  door  was  not  a  common  door.  It  was 
made  of  heavy  planks,  and  was  strong  enough 
to  successfully  resist  all  their  attacks.  There 
was  but  one  way  in  which  they  could  effect  an 
entrance,  and  that  was  by  cutting  the  door  down 
with  an  ax.  Before  that  could  be  done,  the 
fugitives  would  have  ample  time  to  hunt  up  a 
new  hiding-place. 

The  boys  had  been  so  terrified  by  their  recent 
danger,  and  so  intent  on  preventing  theii  ene- 


222 


mies  from  following  them  into  the  room,  that 
they  had  not  thought  of  any  thing  else.  They 
had  not  had  time  to  look  about  the  apartment 
in  which  they  had  taken  refuge ;  and  if  there 
had  been  a  dozen  men  in  there,  they  would  not 
have  known  it.  As  soon  as  they  had  some 
what  recovered  their  composure,  and  satisfied 
themselves  that  their  enemies  in  the  passage 
way  could  not  immediately  effect  an  entrance, 
they  began  an  examination  of  the  room,  and 
found  that,  like  most  of  the  others  in  the  un 
derground  portion  of  the  rancho,  it  was  used 
as  a  receptacle  for  various  odds  and  ends,  being 
filled  with  boxes,  bales  of  goods,  and  articles 
of  like  description.  They  noticed  also  that  the 
room  communicated  with  another,  and  that 
the  door  between  them  stood  wide  open ;  and 
scarcely  had  they  observed  these  points,  before 
they  became  aware  that  there  were  men  on  the 
opposite  side  of  that  door.  They  could  not  see 
them,  but  they  could  distinctly  hear  their  voices. 
One  was  angrily  demanding  something,  and 
another  was  answering  in  an  imploring  tone. 
The  men,  whoever  they  were,  had  evidently 
got  into  some  difficulty;  for,  with  the  voices, 


THE  DON  IN  TROUBLE.  223 

was  occasionally  mingled  the  sounds  of  a  furi 
ous  struggle. 

"There's  a  fight  going  on  in  there/'  whis 
pered  Archie.  "I  hope  they  will  keep  one  an 
other  employed  until  we  can  get  out  of  here. 
Which  way  shall  we  go?" 

That  was  the  very  question  Frank  was  ask 
ing  himself,  and  it  was  one  he  could  not  answer. 
If  they  went  back  into  the  passage,  they  would 
run  directly  into  the  clutches  of  their  enemies; 
and  if  they  retreated  into  the  adjoining  room, 
they  would  be  captured  by  the  men  who  were 
quarreling  there.  It  would  be  useless  for  them 
to  conceal  themselves  among  the  boxes  and 
bales  of  goods,  for  two  men  could  thoroughly 
ransack  the  room  in  half  a  minute's  time,  and 
their  hiding-place  would  speedily  be  discovered. 

"Oh,  we  are  caught  at  last,"  said  Archie, 
after  he  had  thought  the  matter  over.  "We 
can't  stir  a  step,  for  our  enemies  are  all  around 
us." 

Thump!  thump!  Both  boys  jumped  as  if 
Borne  one  had  suddenly  fired  a  pistol  close  to 
their  ears.  The  Rancheros  in  the  passage  had 
secured  an  ax,  and  were  beginning  the  work 


224 

of  cutting  down  the  door.  The  blows  fell  fast 
and  furiously,  and  before  the  cousins  had  fuirly 
made  up  their  minds  what  was  going  on,  the 
door  began  to  shake  and  tremble  violently. 
Something  must  be  done  at  once;  for  in  two 
minutes  more  the  room  would  be  filled  with 
Rancheros.  The  boys  looked  at  each  other, 
and  both  seemed  to  have  decided  upon  the  same 
course  of  action  ;  for,  with  one  accord,  they 
started  toward  the  opposite  side  of  the  room. 
They  moved  swiftly,  but  noiselessly,  and  when 
they  reached  the  door,  they  stopped  and  looked 
in  and  beheld  a  scene  that  filled  them  with  as 
tonishment.  By  the  light  of  a  lantern,  which 
stood  on  a  table  in  the  center  of  the  room,  they 
saw  a  man  lying  upon  the  floor,  and  another 
Kneeling  upon  his  breast,  and  holding  him  by 
the  throat  with  one  hand,  while,  with  the  other, 
he  flourished  a  knife  in  the  air.  The  prostrate 
man  was  the  chief  of  the  robber  band,  and  his 
antagonist  was  Pierre  Costcllo.  They  were  talk 
ing  in  angry,  excited  tones,  and  during  the  few 
seconds  the  cousins  stood  at  the  door,  undecided 
liow  to  act,  they  caught  enough  of  the  conversa 
tion  to  understand  the  cause  of  the  trouble. 


THE  DON  IN  TROUBLE.  225 

Pierre  had  boasted  to  Frank,  before  lie  left 
him  in  the  ravine,  that  he  had  two  strings  to 
his  bow  this  time.  In  case  Don  Carlos  refused 
to  pay  him  the  reward  he  had  offered  for 
Frank's  capture,  he  would  keep  his  prisoner 
safe,  until  his  uncle  ransomed  him.  If  one 
failed,  the  other  would  not,  for  Mr.  "Winters 
would  willingly  give  every  cent  he  was  worth, 
rather  than  permit  harm  to  befall  his  nephew. 
But  something  was  always  happening  to  upset 
Pierre's  plans.  The  Rancheros,  whom  he  had 
tried  to  cheat  out  of  their  share  of  the  money, 
had  followed  him  to  the  mountains,  and  taken 
charge  of  the  prisoner  themselves.  Pierre  was 
in  the  court  when  Frank  was  brought  in,  and 
although  he  said  nothing,  he  was  highly  en 
raged.  He  could,  of  course,  have  claimed  a 
portion  of  the  reward,  but  that  would  not  sat 
isfy  him — he  wanted  it  all ;  and  he  mentally 
resolved  that,  before  morning,  he  would  smug 
gle  Frank  out  of  the  rancho,  and  carry  him 
back  to  the  mountains. 

While  thinking  the  matter  over,  and  trying 
to  decide  upon  the  best  plan  for  accomplishing 
his  object,  he  came  to  the  conclusion  that  it 
15 


226 

would  be  well  to  make  a  change  in  his  pro 
gramme.  He  was  satisfied  that  the  events  of 
the  night  had  broken  up  the  robber  band  (the 
disappearance  of  Frank  and  Archie  would  create 
a  great  commotion  in  the  settlement,  and  the 
Don's  secret  would  be  certain  to  leak  out  some 
where),  and  Pierre  determined  to  secure  his 
own  safety  by  deserting  his  friends,  and  leaving 
the  country.  He  would  not,  however,  go  empty 
handed.  The  Don  had  plenty  of  gold  stowed 
away  in  some  secret  cavern ;  Pierre  wanted 
some  of  it;  and  the  only  way  he  could  get  it 
was  to  compel  the  chief  to  conduct  him  to  its 
place  of  concealment.  This  he  had  decided  to 
do ;  and  when  the  Don  went  below  to  renew 
his  search  for  Archie,  Pierre  accompanied  him; 
and  after  leading  him  into  a  deserted  room  in 
a  remote  corner  of  the  rancho  (one  of  the  few 
which  happened  to  be  unlocked),  he  ordered 
the  Don  to  show  him  where  the  coveted  gold 
was  hidden.  Frightened  by  the  sight  of  the 
knife  which  Pierre  brandished  before  his  eyes, 
the  chief  would  have  gladly  complied  with  the 
demand,  but,  for  the  simple  reason,  that  he 
could  not  get  into  the  room  where  his  treasure 


THE  DON  IN  TROUBLE.  227 

was  concealed.  The  key  was  attached  to  the 
bunch  in  Archie's  pocket.  He  had  long  ago 
missed  the  keys  from  their  accustomed  nail  in 
his  room,  but  he  did  not  know  what  had  be 
come  of  them. 

"  I  do  n't  can  do  it,  Meester  Bierre,"  groaned 
the  Don,  for  the  twentieth  time.  "I  do  n't  got 
de  key.  It's  lost." 

"  You  can't  make  me  believe  that  story,"  re 
plied  Pierre,  tightening  his  grasp  on  the  Don's 
throat,  and  raising  his  knife  as  he  spoke. 
"  Once  more,  and  for  the  last  time,  where 
is  it?" 

The  Don's  answer  was  cut  short  by  an  inter 
ruption  that  was.  as  sudden  as  it  was  unex 
pected.  Two  figures  glided  quickly  into  the 
room,  and  while  one  stopped  to  close  and  lock 
the  door,  the  other  ran  straight  up  to  Pierre, 
and  presented  a  cocked  revolver  in  his  face. 
The  robber,  who  had  been  so  fully  occupied 
with  the  Don  that  he  had  not  heard  the  sounds 
of  the  ax,  or  the  noise  occasioned  by  the  strug 
gle  at  the  door,  was  astonished  beyond  measure. 
The  hand  in  which  he  held  the  knife  fell  slowly 
to  his  side,  his  under  jaw  dropped  down,  and 


228  DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

he  shrunk  away  from  the  muzzle  of  the  re 
volver  without  uttering  a  word. 

"Ach !"  exclaimed  the  Don,  who  was  no  less 
amazed  than  Pierre,  "  here  ish  von  of  dcse 
leetle  poys ! " 

"  Here  are  both  of  them/7  said  Archie,  who, 
having  succeeded  in  finding  a  key  to  lock  the 
door,  now  hurried  up  with  a  pistol  in  each  hand. 
"  Well— by— gracious  !  Pierre  Costello  !  " 

Archie  was  as  much  astonished  at  finding 
himself  in  the  presence  of  his  old  enemy,  as  his 
cousin  had  been.  He  bent  down  and  gazed 
earnestly  into  Pierre's  face,  and  then  straight 
ened  up  and  leveled  both  his  pistols  at  the  rob 
ber's  head.  "Why,  Frank!"  he  exclaimed, 
"it's  he,  sure  enough." 

"  I  know  it.  This  is  not  the  first  time  I  have 
met  him  to-night.  Drop  that  knife,"  he  added, 
sternly,  addressing  himself  to  Pierre.  "Now, 
etrctch  yourself  out  on  the  floor,  face  down 
ward,  and  put  your  hands  behind  your  back." 

The  Ranchero,  at  this  moment,  did  not  act 
much  like  the  reckless,  desperate  man  he  had 
appeared  a  short  time  before,  Tho  sight  of  the 
pistols  took  all  the  courage  out  of  him  :  and  he 


THE  DON  IN  TKOUBLE.  229 

obeyed  both  Frank's  commands  without  an  in 
stant's  hesitation.  The  sash,  which  the  latter 
wore  around  his  waist,  answered  all  the  pur 
poses  of  a  rope,  and  Pierre  speedily  found  him 
self  as  helpless  as  though  he  had  been  in 
double-irons. 

The  Don,  in  the  meantime,  had  regained  his 
feet,  and  stood  watching  all  that  was  going  on 
with  a  smile  of  great  satisfaction  on  his  face. 
The  astonishment  occasioned  by  the  unexpected 
appearance  of  the  boys,  was,  for  the  moment, 
lost  sight  of  in  the  delight  and  thankfulness  he 
felt  at  finding  himself  released  from  the  power 
of  his  enemy. 

"Now,  dis  ish  all  right,"  said  he,  gleefully. 
"It's  petter  you  makes  dat  rope  pooty  fast, 
leetle  poys.  Ach !  I  fix  you,  Meester  Bierre," 
he  added,  shaking  his  clenched  hand  at  the 
prostrate  robber ;  "  I  makes  blenty  droubles  for 
you,  mine  friend.  Come  mit  me,  leetle  poys; 
I  shows  you  de  way  out,  now." 

Frank  and  Archie  were  not  in  the  least  sur 
prised  at  this  proposition.  It  was  a  part  of 
their  plan  to  compel  the  Don  to  guide  them 
out  of  the  rancho,  and  they  knew  that  he  would 


230 

readily  consent.  They  knew,  too,  that  he  was 
as  treacherous  as  an  Indian,  and  that  he  would 
bear  watching.  It  was  their  intention  to  keep 
as  close  to  him  as  possible. 

"Go  ahead,  Don/7  said  Archie,  taking  the 
lantern  from  the  table;  "but  bear  one  thing 
in  mind,  and  that  is,  at  the  very  first  exhibi 
tion  of  treachery  on  your  part,  we  will  shoot 
you  with  as  little  hesitation  as  we  shot  Old 
Davy  this  morning." 

The  chief  earnestly  protested  that  the  boys 
need  have  no  fears  on  that  score.  They  had 
done  him  a  great  service  in  saving  him  from 
the  knife  of  Pierre  Costello,  and  he  would  re 
pay  it  by  showing  them  the  way  out  of  the 
rancho.  Besides,  he  was  not  foolish  enough  to 
attempt  any  treachery,  while  those  three  loaded 
pistols  were  so  near  him.  The  boys  listened 
to  all  he  said,  but  did  not  believe  a  word  of  it. 
It  was  not  reasonable  to  suppose  that  he  would 
permit  them  to  escape,  when  he  knew  that,  as 
soon  as  they  reached  home,  they  would  tell 
their  friends  every  thing  that  had  happened  at 
the  rancho.  They  were  as  well  satisfied  that 
he  had  some  plan  in  his  head,  as  if  he  had  told 


THE  DON  IN  TROUBLE.  231 

them  so ;  but  they  were  resolved  to  watch  him 
so  closely  that  he  would  have  no  opportunity 
to  carry  it  out. 

When  Archie  picked  up  the  lantern,  the  Don 
started  toward  a  door  at  the  farther  end  of  the 
room,  which,  upon  being  opened,  revealed  a 
narrow  stone  stairway  leading  up  to  the  rooms 
above.  As  they  were  about  to  ascend  these 
stairs,  a  loud  crash  in  the  adjoining  room,  fol 
lowed  by  a  chorus  of  hoarse  yells,  told  the  boys 
that  the  Rancheros  had  at  last  succeeded  in 
cutting  down  the  door.  The  Don  would  have 
stopped  to  inquire  into  the  cause  of  the  dis 
turbance,  but  his  companions  pushed  him  on ; 
and  while  Frank  watched  him  to  see  that  he 
did  not  escape,  Archie  overhauled  his  keys  un 
til  he  found  one  that  would  lock  the  door. 
This  done,  the  Don  led  the  way  up  the  stairs, 
the  boys  following  close  at  his  heels. 


DON  CARLOS'  RANCIIO. 


CHAPTER  X\r. 

THE  BRIDGE  OF  CLOUDS. 

rPHERE  seemed  to  be  no  end  to  the  stairway. 
It  wound  and  twisted  about  in  a  bewilder 
ing  fashion,  and,  before  they  reached  the  top, 
Frank  and  Archie  came  to  the  conclusion  that 
they  had  cither  been  a  long  way  under  the 
ground,  or  else  that  the  rancho  was  a  much 
taller  building  than  they  had  imagined  it  to  be. 
At  last,  however,  their  guide  pushed  open  a 
door,  and  the  boys  found  themselves  in  the 
same  room  to  which  he  hud  conducted  them 
when  they  first  arrived  at  the  rancho.  Still 
closely  followed  by  his  watchful  companions, 
the  Don  went  straight  across  the  room,  and 
stopped  in  front  of  a  wardrobe. 

"Now,  leetle  poys,"  said  he,  addressing  him 
self  to  Archie,  "you  got  the  keys.  Make  dis 
door  open." 


THE  BRIDGE  OF  CLOUDS.  233 

Archie  quickly  found  a  key  that  would  fit 
the  lock,  and  when  the  boys  entered  the  ward 
robe,  they  discovered  that,  although  it  was  used 
as  a  receptacle  for  clothing,  it  was  intended 
to  conceal  a  door  that  led  into  some  secret 
apartment.  When  this  door  had  been  opened — > 
it  was  so  heavy  that  it  taxed  Archie's  strength 
to  the  utmost  to  move  it — the  cousins  found 
themselves  in  a  rgom,  about  twenty  feet  square, 
which  had  one  peculiarity  that  they  noticed  as 
soon  as  they  crossed  the  threshold.  There  was 
not  a  single  opening  in  it;  and  when  Archie 
had  shut  the  door,  they  found  themselves  sur 
rounded  on  all  sides  by  rough  stone  walls. 
Even  the  door  itself,  which  closed  behind  them 
with  the  sharp  click  of  a  spring  lock,  could 
not  be  seen. 

"I  say,  Don/7  exclaimed  Frank,  "what  use 
do  you  make  of  this  dungeon  ?  I  do  n't  see 
any  thing  stowed  away  here." 

The  chief's  answer  was  not  given  in  words. 
He  was  standing  close  by  Frank's  side,  and 
before  the  latter  could  move,  he  had  suddenly 
jerked  the  lantern  from  his  hand,  and  dashed 
it  upon  the  floor,  smashing  it  into  a  thousand 


234 

pieces,  and  extinguishing  the  light.  As  quick 
as  thought  Frank  bounded  forward,  and  made 
a  blind  clutch  at  the  place  where  he  had  last 
seen  the  Don,  but  with  no  other  result  than  to 
come  in  violent  contact  with  the  wall.  A  mo 
ment  afterward,  the  astonished  and  bewildered 
boys  heard  a  grating  sound  at  the  other  side 
of  the  room,  and  the  Don's  voice  calling  to 
them  through  the  darkness. 

"Die  ish  all  right,"  said  he.  "Dere's  some 
things  shtowed  away  here  now,  ain't  it?  It's 
petter  you  shtays  here  awhile." 

The  truth  flashed  through  the  boys'  minds 
at  once — they  were  prisoners  again.  In  spite 
of  all  their  vigilance,  the  chief  had  succeeded 
in  carrying  out  the  plan  he  had  formed  while 
he  was  watching  the  operation  of  binding 
Pierre  Costello.  His  movements  had  been  so 
rapid,  that,  even  had  his  captives  been  aware 
of  his  intention,  they  could  not  have  prevented 
him  from  carrying  it  into  execution.  Before 
they  could  tell  what  was  the  matter,  the  lantern 
had  been  smashed,  their  treacherous  enemy  had 
made  his  exit  from  the  room  in  some  mysterious 
uuuiiici,  and  they  were  alone  in  the  darkness. 


THE  BRIDGE  OF  CLOUDS.  235 

"We're  in  for  it  now,"  panted  Archie,  sink 
ing  down  upon  the  floor  all  in  a  heap.  "We've 
got  out  of  some  tight  places  to-night,  but  there 
is  no  escape  from  this  predicament.  The  Don 
will  soon  be  back  with  his  men." 

"And  if  they  once  get  their  hands  upon  us, 
we  need  never  expect  to  see  home  again,"  said 
Frank.  "  Give  me  some  of  your  matches,  and 
we  will  examine  the  walls  of  this  dungeon. 
There's  a  spring  to  that  door,  and  if  we  can 
find  it,  we  can  get  out." 

After  the  matches  had  been  lighted,  the  boys 
found  that  the  first  difficulty  to  be  overcome 
was  the  finding  of  the  door.  They  did  not 
know  where  to  look  for  it,  for  the  walls  ap 
peared  to  be  as  solid  as  the  ground.  They 
made  the  circuit  of  the  room  several  times, 
lighting  new  matches  as  fast  as  the  old  ones 
were  consumed,  and  carefully  examining  each 
separate  stone  in  the  wall,  from  the  floor  up  to 
a  level  with  their  heads;  but  nothing  in  the 
shape  of  a  spring  or  lock  rewarded  their  search. 
Then  they  turned  their  attention  to  the  floor; 
but,  if  there  was  any  opening  in  the  solid  oak 
planks,  it  could  not  be  found.  Five  minutes — 


23G 


it  seemed  much  longer  to  the  frightened  and 
excited  boys — were  passed  in  tnis  way,  and 
then,  for  the  first  time  that  night,  Frank'? 
courage  and  fortitude  were  utterly  exhausted. 

"It's  no  use,"  said  he.  "The  Don  got  out 
somewhere,  but  it  is  very  evident  that  we  can't. 
AVe  might  as  well  sit  down,  and  wait  for  him 
to  come  in  and  dispose  of  us.  Do  you  see  any 
thing  encouraging?"  he  added,  noticing  that 
his  cousin  was  holding  a  match  above  his  head, 
and  closely  examining  the  roof  of  the  dungeon. 

"I  believe  I  do,"  replied  Archie.  "Isn't 
that  a  scuttle?" 

"That's  just  what  it  is,"  exclaimed  Frank, 
joyfully;  "and  it  is  fastened  with  hooks." 

"  Oh,  if  we  could  only  get  up  there,"  cried 
Archie.  "But  there  isn't  a  thing  here  for  a 
fellow  to  stand  upon." 

"  I  've  got  a  pair  of  shoulders.  Como  here, 
and  I  will  hold  you  up." 

After  burning  another  match  to  determine 
the  exact  position  of  the  scuttle,  Frank  took 
his  stand  directly  beneath  it,  and  iu  a  moment 
more,  Archie  was  balanced  on  his  shoulders, 
and  pouting  loudly,  as  he  strove  with  nervous 


THE  BEIDGE  OF  CLOUDS.  237 

haste  to  unfasten  the  hooks.  Every  thing 
bothers  when  one  is  in  a  hurry,  and  one's  fin 
gers  are  all  thumbs.  It  was  awkward  working 
in  that  intense  darkness,  and,  besides,  the  hooks 
had  been  driven  into  the  staples  so  tightly,  that 
it  required  the  outlay  of  all  Archie's  strength 
to  start  them.  But  patience  and  perseverance 
conquered  at  last,  and  in  an  excited  voice  he 
informed  his  cousin  that  he  had  unfastened  the 
scuttle,  and  asked  him  if  he  should  open  it. 

"  Of  course/'  replied  Frank. 

"  But  how  do  we  know  what  we  shall  find  on 
the  other  side?  Perhaps  it  leads  into  a  room 
full  of  Mexicans." 

"We  must  run  that  risk.  Venture  nothing, 
gain  nothing,  you  know." 

Frank  awaited  the  issue  of  events  with  a 
good  deal  of  anxiety.  He  heard  the  heavy 
scuttle  lifted  slowly  and  cautiously  from  its 
place,  then  a  smothered  cry  of  exultation,  and 
the  weight  was  suddenly  lifted  from  his  shoul 
ders.  Upon  looking  up,  he  saw  the  stars  shin 
ing  down  upon  him  through  the  scuttle-hole, 
and  his  cousin's  heels  disappearing  over  the 
combings. 


238  DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

"  We  are  safe  now,"  whispered  Archie,  thrust 
ing  his  head  into  the  opening,  and  extending 
his  hand  down  into  the  darkness.  "  I  am  on 
the  roof  of  the  rancho.  Give  us  your  fist." 

"  I  can't  reach  you,"  replied  Frank. 

Archie  hesitated  a  moment,  and  then  pulled 
off  his  jacket,  and  firmly  grasping  one  of  the 
sleeves,  threw  the  other  down  to  his  cousin. 
One  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  was  no  light 
weight  for  a  boy  of  his  size  to  sustain,  but  he 
clung  manfully  to  the  jacket,  while  Frank  went 
up,  hand-over-hand,  as  a  sailor  goes  up  a  rope. 
He  soon  ascended  high  enough  to  seize  the 
combings  of  the  scuttle,  and  in  a  moment  more 
stood  safe  upon  the  roof. 

The  cousins  did  not  stop  to  congratulate 
themselves  upon  their  good  fortune.  Time  was 
much  too  precious  for  that,  and,  besides,  they 
did  not  yet  regard  their  escape  as  a  settled 
thing.  There  was  the  creek  to  be  crossed;  a 
belt  of  timber  to  be  passed;  and  five  miles  of 
lonely  prarie  to  be  traversed,  before  they  reached 
their  uncle's  rancho;  and  there  was  no  know 
ing  what  might  happen  to  them  while  the} 
were  making  this  journey.  Their  first  care  wa.« 


THE  BRIDGE  OF  CLOUDS.  239 

to  put  the  scuttle  back  in  its  place,  so  that  the 
Don,  when  he  returned  to  the  dungeon,  should 
not  immediately  discover  the  manner  of  their 
escape,  and  the  next  to  reconnoiter  the  ground 
before  them.  They  found  themselves  on  the 
roof  of  a  wing  of  the  rancho — a  space  about 
twenty  feet  square.  On  three  sides  was  a  stone 
parapet,  two  feet  high,  and  on  the  fourth 
loomed  up  the  walls  of  the  main  building.  In 
this  wall  was  a  door,  which  opened  upon  the 
wing.  The  boys  merely  glanced  at  it,  and 
scarcely  thought  of  it  again ;  but  they  after 
ward  had  good  cause  to  remember  it.  They 
looked  all  around  them,  but  there  was  no  one 
in  sight ;  they  listened  intently,  but  could  hear 
nothing. 

"The  coast  seems  to  be  clear/7  said  Archie, 
walking  to  the  parapet  and  looking  cautiously 
over,  "  and  we  had  better  be  off.  It  is  n't  more 
than  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  to  the  ground,  and 
we  can  hang  by  our  hands  and  drop  without 
much  danger  of  injuring  ourselves." 

"Be  careful,"  said  Frank.  "A  sprained  an 
kle  wouldn't  be  a  funny  thing,  just  now." 

The  boys  jumped  upon   the  wall,  and  were 


240 


on  the  point  of  swinging  themselves  ever,  when 
an  interruption  they  had  not  dreamed  of  ar 
rested  their  movements.  Frank's  quick  :ar 
caught  the  faint  tramping  of  horses'  hoofs.  lie 
laid  his  hand  upon  his  cousin's  arm,  and  they 
sprang  back  to  the  roof,  and  concealed  them 
selves  behind  the  parapet. 

"  Something  is  always  bothering  us,"  said 
Archie,  straining  his  eyes  through  the  darkness 
in  the  direction  from  which  the  sound  came. 
"  What 's  up  now,  I  wonder  ! " 

If  Frank  had  known  just  what  was  about 
to  transpire,  he  could  not  have  described  it  in 
less  time  than  the  scene  occupied  in  taking 
place.  While  Archie  was  speaking,  the  sound 
of  the  horses'  hoofs  ceased,  and  a  faint  light, 
like  that  emitted  by  a  match,  blazed  up  in  the 
bushes  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  creek.  The 
signal  (for  the  boys  were  sure  it  was  a  signal) 
was  repeated  twice,  and  then  arose  a  commotion 
in  the  house,  as  if  men  were  running  hurriedly 
about.  This  continued  for  a  few  seconds,  and 
then  a  flatboat  suddenly  made  its  appearance  in 
the  creek.  Where  it  came  from,  the  boys  cuiild 
not  imagine;  but  there  it  was,  and  there  wa-  a 


THE  BRIDGE  OF  CLOUDS.  211 

man  in  it,  who  was  sculling  it  toward  the  op 
posite  bank. 

"By — gracious!"  whispered  Archie,  in  great 
excitement.  "We  are  going  to  witness  the 
very  scene  that  frightened  old  Bob  so  badly. " 

"But  Bob  must  have  been  dreaming,"  an 
swered  Frank.  "He  said  the  boat  was  ferried 
across  without  hands,  and  that  man  is  using 
an  oar." 

Our  heroes  were  too  deeply  interested  in 
what  was  going  on  to  continue  the  conversa 
tion.  Archie  pulled  off  his  sombrero,  and 
pushed  back  his  sleeves,  as  if  he  were  preparing 
for  a  trial  of  strength  with  somebody,  while 
Frank  settled  himself  into  a  comfortable  posi 
tion  behind  the  parapet,  after  the  manner  of  a 
boy  who  had  selected  his  favorite  book  from 
the  library,  and  seated  himself  in  an  easy  chair 
to  enjoy  it.  They  kept  a  sharp  lookout,  for 
they  were  determined  that  not  even  the  small 
est  incident  should  escape  their  notice.  They 
had  an  opportunity  now  to  learn  the  secret  of 
these  strange  doings,  and,  when  they  were  over, 
they  would  know  as  much  about  them  as  Pen 
Carlos  himself. 
1G 


242 


At  the  same  moment  that  the  flatboat  ap 
peared,  the  boys  heard  the  grating  noise  below 
them,  and  suddenly  the  banks  of  the  creek  and 
the  woods,  for  two  hundred  yards  around,  which 
had  been  shrouded  in  darkness  an  instant  be 
fore,  were  flooded  with  light. 

"I  know  what  Bob's  ' streaks  of  fire'  are 
now,"  said  Frank. 

"That  light  comes  from  a  dark-lantern," 
chimed  in  Archie.  "There's  only  one  thing, 
so  far,  that  I  can't  understand,  and  that  is, 
where  that  boat  came  from  in  such  a  hurry. 
What's  that?" 

Just  then  a  large  white  object,  which  ap 
peared  to  unfold  itself  as  it  moved  along,  came 
into  view,  and  rolled  down  the  bank  toward 
the  creek.  It  stopped  when  it  reached  the 
water's  edge,  thus  forming  a  walk,  which  ex 
tended  from  the  creek  to  the  walls  of  the  ran- 
cho.  This  was  another  thing  that  Archie  could 
not  understand,  and  neither  could  Frank.  They 
knew  that  it  was  what  the  trapper  had  called 
the  "bridge  of  clouds," — and  there  it  was, 
"  rolling  and  tumbling,  like  the  smoke  from 
the  mouth  of  a  cannon,"  just  as  Dick  had  de- 


THE  BRIDGE  OF  CLOUDS.  243 

scribed  it  to  them — bat  what  was  it  nude  of? 
that  was  the  question.  Of  course  it  could  n't 
be  a  cloud,  but  it  certainly  looked  like  one. 
Archie  sank  lower  behind  the  parapet,  and 
muttered  his  favorite  expression  a  good  many 
times,  and  Frank  puffed  out  his  cheeks,  and 
scratched  his  head  to  stir  up  his  ideas. 

While  the  bridge  of  clouds  (the  boys  did  not 
know  what  else  to  call  it)  was  placing  itself  in 
position  on  that  side  of  the  creek,  a  similar 
operation  had  been  going  on  on  the  opposite 
bank.  The  boat  had  by  this  time  crossed  the 
creek,  and  a  white  object,  like  the  one  just  de 
scribed — another  bridge  of  clouds — extended 
from  it  into  the  woods.  Presently,  two  horse 
men  appeared,  riding  down  the  bridge  toward 
the  boat.  One  was  mounted  on  Roderick,  and 
the  other  on  King  James ;  and  each  led  a  horse 
which  had  doubtless  been  stolen  that  night. 
They  rode  upon  the  flatboat,  the  bridge  along 
which  they  had  just  passed  rolled  itself  up 
after  them,  and  the  boat  began  to  move  across 
the  creek.  It  was  plain,  now,  that  the  old 
trapper  had  not  been  dreaming;  The  horsemen 
were  still  in  their  saddles;  the  Mexican,  who 


21 1  DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

had  gone  over  in  the  boat,  was  standing  quietly 
in  the  stern ;  the  oar  lay  upon  the  bottom 
where  he  had  thrown  it;  and  yet  the  boat 
moved  rapidly  through  the  water.  There  was 
no  mistake  about  it,  for  the  boys  could  see  the 
whole  proceeding  as  plainly  as  though  it  had 
been  broad  daylight.  The  boat  was  certainly 
coming  across  the  creek,  and  it  was  equally 
certain  that  not  one  of  its  three  passengers  was 
propelling  it.  A  dozen  oarsmen  could  not 
have  sent  it  through  the  water  as  rapidly  as  it 
was  moved  by  that  invisible  power.  It  was 
not  more  than  half-a-minute  in  crossing  the 
creek,  and  as  soon  as  it  touched  the  bank,  the 
horsemen  rode  out  on  the  bridge  of  clouds,  and 
came  toward  tbe  rancho.  Frank  and  Archie 
kept  close  watch  of  their  movements,  thrusting 
their  heads  as  far  over  the  parapet  as  they 
dared,  and  it  seemed  to  them  that  the  horsemen 
went  into  the  wall.  They  suddenly  disappeared 
somewhere  very  suddenly ;  and  no  sooner  were 
they  out  of  sight,  than  the  bridge  of  clouds 
rolled  itself  up  behind  them,  the  light  was  ex 
tinguished,  and  darkness  once  more  settled 
dowi  over  the  rancho. 


THE  BRIDGE  OF  CLOUDS.  245 

These  various  incidents  followed  one  another 
with  a  rapidity  that  was  utterly  bewildering. 
The  horsemen  had  crossed  the  creek,  and  were 
safe  in  the  rancho,  almost  before  the  boys  knew 
it.  They  had  moved  as  swiftly  and  silently  as 
spirits ;  and  when  they  had  passed  out  of  sight, 
Archie  struck  the  parapet  with  his  fist,  to  make 
sure  that  he  was  awake.  He  felt  the  cold  chills 
creeping  along  his  back,  and  he  did  not  wonder 
now  that  old  Bob  had  been  frightened.  He 
was  willing  to  confess  that  he  was  frightened 
himself. 

"  Well ! "  said  Frank,  after  a  moment's  pause. 

"  Do  n't  ask  me  any  questions/'  replied 
Archie.  "  I  do  n't  know  any  more  about  it 
now  than  I  did  before.  Where  did  those  fel 
lows  go  ?  " 

"What  was  that  white  thing  the  horses 
walked  on,  and  what  moved  it  ?  I  did  n't  see 
any  one  near  it !  " 

"Where  did  that  flatboat  come  from,  and 
where  could  it  have  gone  so  suddenly  ?  It  dis 
appeared  the  instant  the  horsemen  left  it." 

"No  doubt  we  shall  know  all  about  it  some 
day/'  said  Frank — "that  is,  if  we  succeed  in 


246      DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

making  our  escape.  I  wonder  if  the  coast  is 
clear  now?" 

"No,  it  isn't,"  answered  Archie.  "Sec 
there ! " 

Frank  looked  over  the  parapet,  and  saw  a 
Mexican  standing  in  the  shadow  of  the  wall 
beneath  them.  lie  had  doubtless  been  sta 
tioned  there  to  see  if  the  horsemen  were  pur 
sued.  The  boys  wished  him  a  thousand  miles 
away,  for  he  was  sadly  interfering  with  their 
arrangements.  They  waited  impatiently  for 
him  to  follow  the  robbers  into  the  rancho,  but 
he  seemed  to  have  no  such  intention.  lie  stood 
there  as  upright  as  a  post,  and  as  silent  jind 
motionless. 

"Are  we  not  having  miserable  luck?"  asked 
Archie,  impatiently.  "Let's  jump  down  on 
him,  before  he  knows  it.  We  can  both  manage 
him." 

"  But  we  would  alarm  the  rest  of  the  band," 
replied  Frank.  "Let's  drop  down  on  the 
other  side,  and  go  around  the  rancho." 

The  attention  of  the  boys  had  been  so  fully 
occupied  with  what  had  just  transpired,  that 
they  had  not  thought  of  looking  for  enemies  ill 


THE  BRIDGE  OF  CLO0DS.  247 

their  rear.  While  they  were  watching  the 
Mexican  beneath  them,  the  door  in  the  wall 
of  the  main  building,  of  which  we  have  before 
spoken,  was  noiselessly  opened,  and  several 
Bandieros,  headed  by  Don  Carlos,  came  out 
and  approached  the  boys  on  tip-toe.  As  the 
latter  arose  to  their  feet  to  carry  out  the  plan 
Frank  had  suggested,  Archie's  collar  was  seized 
in  a  strong  grasp,  and  his  cousin  looked  up 
just  in  time  to  see  a  long,  bony  hand  stretch 
ing  out  toward  him.  It  was  the  robber  chiefs 
hand;  but  it  was  much  too  slow  in  its  move 
ments  to  make  a  prisoner  of  Frank  Nelson. 
The  boy  lingered  just  long  enough  to  see  that 
the  Don  was  backed  up  by  a  force  too  strong 
to  be  successfully  resisted,  and  then,  striking  up 
the  threatening  hand,  he  jumped  to  the  parapet 
and  swung  himself  over.  He  did  not  immedi 
ately  let  go  his  hold,  but  looked  down  to  take  a 
survey  of  the  ground  beneath  him.  He  wanted 
to  strike  squarely  on  his  feet,  in  order  to  be 
on  equal  terms  with  the  sentinel  who  would 
doubtless  pounce  upon  him  at  once.  He  hung 
suspended  in  the  air  but  a  moment,  but  that 
was  long  enough  for  the  Don  to  reach  tha 


248 

parajiiet,  and  bend  over  and  seize  him  by  the 
collar. 

"Hold  on,  leetle  poys,"  exclaimed  the  chief. 
"  It  Js  petter  you  comes  back  here.  Ach  !  Dis 
ish  von  grand  shwindle,"  he  yelled,  changing 
his  tone  very  suddenly.  "  Vat  you  making 
here,  leetle  poys?" 

The  Don  was  greatly  alarmed  now,  for  he 
was  being  dragged  over  the  parapet.  When  he 
seized  Frank,  he  did  not  attempt  to  pull  him 
back  upon  the  roof,  but  braced  himself,  intend 
ing  to  hold  fast  to  his  prisoner  until  some  of 
his  men  could  come  to  his  assistance.  Frank 
understood  his  plans;  and  knowing  that  the 
loss  of  a  single  instant  might  be  fatal  to  him, 
he  quickly  loosened  his  grasp  upon  the  wall, 
and  seized  the  Don  by  the  hair.  He  hoped  by 
this  move  to  compel  his  enemy  to  let  go  his 
hold  ;  but  it  had  a  very  different  result.  The 
chief,  not  being  equal  to  the  task  of  sustaining 
a  dead  weight  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds 
by  the  hair  of  his  head,  suddenly  lost  his  bal 
ance,  and  he  and  Frank  fell  whirling  through 
the  air. 


A  KACE  IN  THE  DARK.  219 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

A  RACE  IN  THE  DARK. 

TT  seemed  to  Frank  that  while  he  was  falling 
•*-  he  lost  his  senses.  When  he  came  to  him 
self,  he  was  sitting  on  the  ground  about  teu 
feet  from  the  wall,  the  Don  was  lying  motion 
less  by  his  side,  and  the  Mexican,  with  whom 
Frank  expected  to  have  a  desperate  fight,  or  a 
hotly-contested  foot-race,  was  kneeling  upon 
him  and  holding  him  down.  More  than  that, 
a  huge  door  in  the  wall  of  the  rancho — the 
same  one  through  which  the  horsemen  had  dis 
appeared  a  few  minutes  before  —  had  been 
thrown  open ;  the  light  of  a  locomotive  lamp 
was  streaming  out;  and  a  crowd  of  mounted 
men,  all  armed  to  the  teeth,  were  charging  up 
the  bank  with  furious  yells.  Frank  gazed  at 
them  with  mouth  and  eyes  wide  open  ;  and  so 
bewildered  was  he,  that  the  Mexicaai,  if  he  had 


250  DON  CARLOS7  RANCHO. 

felt  so  inclined,  might  have  bound  him  hand 
and  foot  without  the  least  difficulty.  But  it  was 
plain  that  he  was  not  there  for  that  purpose; 
he  was  devoting  himself  entirely  to  Don  Carlos. 

44  That  was  well  done,  Master  Frank/7  said 
he,  as  he  passed  his  sash  around  the  chiefs 
arms.  "But  there's  going  to  be  a  fight  here, 
and  you  had  better  get  out  of  the  way." 

It  was  Carlos  who  spoke,  and  his  words 
brought  Frank  to  his  feet  immediately.  He 
understood  it  all  now.  The  men,  who  were 
pouring  through  the  door  into  the  rancho,  were 
the  settlers,  who  had  come  there  to  rescue  him 
and  Archie.  Frank,  however,  was  not  disposed 
to  run  away  because  there  was  going  to  be  a 
fight.  A  dozen  or  two  men,  at  least,  would  be 
killed  or  wounded,  and  his  cousin  might  be 
one  of  the  number,  unless  he  was  immediately 
liberated.  The  last  Frank  saw  of  him,  he  was 
struggling  in  the  grasp  of  a  powerful  Mexican, 
who  had  thrown  him  upon  the  roof,  and  was 
holding  his  hands  behind  his  back,  while  a 
companion  was  getting  ready  to  bind  him. 
And  there  were  Roderick  and  King  James  t<> 
be  looked  after,  too.  During  the  confusion 


A   RACE  IN  THE  DAEK.  251 

some  of  the  robbers  might  make  off  with  them, 
and  that  Avould  be  a  misfortune  indeed.  Frank 
thought  of  all  these  things,  and  to  the  utter 
amazement  of  Carlos,  pulled  his  revolver  from 
his  pocket,  and  followed  the  settlers  into  the 
rancho. 

When  he  reached  the  door  he  stopped,  aston 
ished  at  the  scene  presented  to  his  view.  The 
court  was  filled  with  men,  some  on  foot,  and 
some  on  horseback ;  rifles  and  pistols  were 
cracking  in  every  direction;  knives  were  flash 
ing  in  the  air ;  and  the  din  that  arose  was 
almost  deafening.  One  thing  Frank  noticed 
immediately,  and  that  was,  that  the  fight  was 
not  so  much  of  a  fight  after  all.  The  robbers, 
taken  by  surprise,  and  alarmed  at  the  numbers 
and  determination  of  the  attacking  party,  did 
not  stop  to  resist,  but  made  every  exertion  to 
escape.  Some,  of  course,  succeeded;  while 
others  were  pulled  down  by  lassos,  and  bound 
hand  and  foot  before  they  could  realize  what 
was  going  on. 

Frank  stood  at  the  door  but  a  moment,  but 
that  was  long  enough  for  a  friend  of  his  to  find 
and  recognize  him.  It  was  Maraiion.  The 


252  DON  CARLOS'  R.VNCHO. 

dog  jumped  upon  him  with  every  demonstra 
tion  of  joy,  and  then  turned  and  attacked  the 
first  man  he  came  to,  who  happened  to  be  none 
other  than  Carlos.  The  latter  had  taken  caro 
of  his  prisoner,  and  was  hurrying  in  to  assist 
the  settlers.  Marmion  discovered  his  mistake 
after  he  had  bitten  the  Ranchero,  but  did  not 
seem  to  be  sorry  for  it.  He,  no  doubt,  consid 
ered  it  his  duty  to  bite  somebody,  and  it  made 
little  difference  to  him  who  it  was.  He  after 
ward  had  an  opportunity  to  try  his  teeth  upon 
an  old  enemy  of  his,  and  he  made  the  most  of  it. 
Frank's  first  care  was  to  look  around  for 
Aivliie.  He  was  not  in  sight,  but  something 
else  was.  Roderick  was  standing  near  the  mid 
dle  of  the  court,  and  one  of  the  robbers  had 
just  grasped  the  bridle,  preparatory  to  spring 
ing  upon  his  back.  There  was  not  a  single 
instant  to  be  lost.  That  man  must  not  be  al 
lowed  to  mount  the  horse,  for,  if  he  once  got 
fairly  into  the  saddle,  he  would  go  out  of  the 
court  with  the  speed  of  the  wind,  and  that 
would  be  the  last  of  Roderick.  Frank  bounded 
forward,  discharging  his  revolver  at  the  roliln  r 
as  he  ran;  but,  although  the  man  looked  around 


A  RACE  IN  THE  DAKK.  253 

to  see  where  the  bullet  came  from,  he  was  not 
frightened  from  his  purpose.  His  leg  was  al 
ready  over  the  saddle,  and  Roderick  was  be 
ginning  to  move. 

"  Stop,  there ! "  yelled  Frank,  who  was  so 
close  to  the  horse  that  he  could  almost  seize 
him  by  the  tail.  "  Stop,  I  say  !  " 

The  noise  in  the  court  was  so  great  that  he 
could  scarcely  hear  his  own  voice.  The  Mex 
ican  did  not  hear  it,  and  it  is  not  probable  that 
he  would  have  paid  any  attention  to  it  if  he 
had.  The  revolver  cracked  once  more,  but 
something  made  Frank's  hand  unsteady,  and 
the  bullet  went  wide  of  the  mark.  Roderick 
was  certainly  lost  to  him.  Again  and  again 
the  six-shooter  spoke  in  decided  tones,  until 
the  last  load  was  discharged ;  and  still  the 
robber  rode  on.  With  a  cry  of  impatience 
Frank  dashed  the  now  useless  weapon  to  the 
ground,  and,  scarcely  knowing  what  he  was 
doing,  started  in  hot  pursuit  of  the  mustang ; 
but  Marmion,  his  friend  and  ally,  was  swifter 
than  he,  and  now  beginning  to  understand  that 
the  Mexican  ought  to  be  stopped,  he  ran  up 
beside  the  horse,  bounded  into  the  air,  seized 


254 

the  man  by  the  shoulder,  and  pulled  him  from 
the  saddle  in  a  twinkling. 

The  wild  Indian  yell  to  which  Frank  gave 
utterance  as  he  witnessed  this  proceeding,  would 
have  done  credit  to  Dick  Lewis  himself.  lie 
did  not  stop  to  see  what  Marmion  was  going 
to  do  with  the  robber,  but  kept  on  after  the 
mustang,  which  he  now  believed  would  make 
straight  for  the  gate.  Roderick,  however, 
seemed  to  be  in  no  hurry  to  leave  the  rancho; 
nor  was  he  frightened  by  the  noise  and  confu 
sion  around  him.  On  the  contrary,  he  ap 
peared  to  enjoy  it.  He  arched  his  neck,  laid 
back  his  ears,  and  pranced  about  among  the 
excited,  struggling  men  as  though  he  were  in 
his  natural  element;  but,  being  well-trained 
and  obedient,  he  stopped  when  his  master  suc 
ceeded  in  making  him  hear  his  voice,  and  in  a 
few  seconds  more  Frank  was  safe  in  the  saddle. 
How  proud  the  boy  was  then  !  He  was  not 
afraid  of  Don  Carlos'  whole  band. 

"Hurrah  for  me!"  he  shouted.  "I  am  all 
i  ight  now.  I  'd  like  to  see  somebody  try  to 
take  you  away  from  me  again,  old  fello.v. 
Hallo,  here!" 


A  RACE  IN  THE  DAKK.  256 

A  horse  interrupted  Frank's  soliloquy — a 
little  black  horse,  which  galloped  by  almost 
within  reach  of  him,  and  disappeared  in  the 
darkness  outside  the  gate.  He  was  in  sight 
long  enough  for  Frank  to  see  that  he  carried 
two  men  on  his  back,  one  being  seated  in  the 
saddle,  and  the  other  hanging  helplessly  across 
the  pommel.  The  horse  was  King  James;  the 
man  in  the  saddle  was  Pierre  Costello;  and 
the  other  was  Archie  Winters. 

The  cousins  had  left  Pierre  bound  hand  and 
foot  in  one  of  the  underground  rooms  of  the 
rancho;  but  he  did  not  remain  there  long,  for 
the  herdsmen,  from  whom  the  boys  had  so  nar 
rowly  escaped,  soon  cut  down  the  door  and  re 
leased  him.  Pierre  explained  matters  in  a  few 
words,  by  saying  that  the  boys  had  taken  him 
unawares,  and  made  a  prisoner  of  him ;  but  he 
forgot  to  mention  the  fact  that  they  had  caught 
him  almost  in  the  act  of  murdering  Don  Carlos. 

Pierre,  finding  himself  once  more  at  liberty, 
ran  frantically  about  the  rancho,  up  stairs  and 
down,  searching  every-where  for  the  boys.  He 
found  one  of  them  at  last,  and  it  was  Archie, 
who  had  been  captured  on  the  roof  of  the  wing, 


256 

and  was  being  carried  below.  From  the  men 
iN'ho  had  him  in  charge,  Pierre  learned  that 
Frank  had  again  escaped,  and  that  the  Don 
had  been  pulled  over  the  parapet.  He  was 
greatly  excited  over  the  news.  He  did  not 
give  a  second  thought  to  the  old  Spaniard's 
misfortune — he  did  not  care  if  the  fall  had 
broken  his  neck — but  he  was  highly  disgusted 
and  enraged  to  learn  that  Frank  had  once  more 
slipped  through  his  fingers.  He  assisted  his 
companions  in  disposing  of  their  prisoner,  and, 
when  the  latter  had  been  locked  up,  Pierre 
managed  to  retain  possession  of  the  keys.  It 
was  his  intention  to  go  out  with  the  others, 
and  assist  in  recapturing  Frank;  but  if  that 
could  not  be  done — if  Frank  succeeded  in  elud 
ing  them — he  would  take  Archie  to  the  mount 
ains  in  his  place.  Pierre  thought  this  a  decided 
improvement  on  his  old  programme.  Archie 
was  not  so  large  and  strong  as  his  cousin,  and 
consequently  he  could  be  more  easily  manau- -d. 
He  would  also  bring  the  same  amount  ol  money 
in  the  shape  of  a  ransom. 

Pierre   hurried   to  the  court,  and,  when   he 
arrived  there,  what  was  his  amazement  to  find 


A  RACE  IN  THE  DARK.  257 

it  filled  with  settlers!  He  did  not  stop  to  take 
a  second  look,  but  returned  with  all  possible 
haste  to  the  room  in  which  Archie  was  con 
fined.  Lifting  him  in  his  arms  as  if  he  had 
been  an  infant,  Pierre  ran  back  to  the  court, 
and  the  first  object  that  met  his  eyes  was 
Archie's  horse.  To  his  infinite  delight  the 
animal  did  not  attempt  to  elude  him ;  and 
when  he  had  swung  himself  into  the  saddle, 
and  pulled  his  prisoner  up  in  front  of  him,  he 
began  to  believe  that  his  plans  might,  after  all, 
prove  successful.  There  was  only  one  person 
in  all  that  crowd  who  saw  him  as  he  dashed 
through  the  gate,  and  that  was  Frank  Nelson. 
Pierre  knew  that  some  one  was  watching  him, 
for  he  heard  a  loud  command  to  halt,  followed 
by  the  angry  bark  of  a  dog,  and  a  clatter  of 
hoofs  behind  him.  He  looked  over  his  shoul 
der,  and  began  to  lose  heart  again.  He  knew, 
if  Archie  did  not,  that  Roderick  was  a  better 
horse  than  the  one  he  was  riding;  and  that  as 
long  as  Marmion  was  on  his  trail,  he  could  not 
hope  to  elude  his  pursuer.  But  he  did  not 
stop.  He  kept  straight  on  toward  the  woods, 
and  a  few  rods  behind  him  came  the  swift 
17 


258 

mustang,  bounding  along  as  easily  as  though 
he  had  been  furnished  with  wings. 

During  the  race  that  followed,  nothing  but 
the  clatter  of  the  horses'  hoofs,  and  an  occa 
sional  angry  yelp  from  Marmion,  broke  the 
stillness  of  the  night.  Across  the  prairie  went 
pursuer  and  pursued  at  furious  speed,  into  the 
woods,  over  logs  and  rocks,  up  hill  and  down, 
through  darkness  so  intense  that  one  could 
scarcely  see  his  hand  before  him,  and  finally 
Frank  began  to  wonder  at  the  endurance  ex 
hibited  by  the  little  black  under  his  double 
load.  But  the  furious  pace  was  telling  on  him, 
and  with  all  the  whipping  and  spurring  he  re 
ceived,  he  could  not  prevent  the  mustang  from 
overtaking  him.  Pierre  saw  this,  and  hastily 
drawing  rein,  prepared  to  carry  out  a  plan  he 
had  determined  upon. 

"Stop  where  you  are!"  he  exclaimed,  in  a 
most  savage  tone  of  voice.  "If  you  ad\anoe 
another  step"- 

The  robber  was  about  to  say  that  if  Frame 
came  any  nearer  he  would  bury  1  is  knife  in 
Archie's  body;  but  Marmion  did  not  give  him 
time  to  finish  the  sentence.  Pie  sprang  straight 


A  RACE  JN  THE  DARK.  259 

at  his  throat,  and,  before  Pierre  could  think  of 
resistance,  he  was  flat  on  the  ground. 

"Hold  fast  to  him,  old  fellow!"  shouted 
Frank,  dismounting  from  his  horse.  "That 
makes  amends  for  the  cowardly  manner  in 
which  you  deserted  me  this  morning.  Archie, 
where  are  you?" 

"Here's  all  that's  left  of  me,"  replied  a 
faint  voice.  "  O,  my  head  ! "  groaned  Archie, 
as  Frank  knelt  down  by  his  side,  and  cut  the 
ropes  with  which  he  was  bound.  "There's  no 
fun  in  being  carried  with  railroad  speed  through 
a  thick  woods  on  a  dark  night  like  this.  But 
I  want  you  to  understand  one  thing :  That 
wasn't  a  fair  race,  because  my  horse  had  a 
double  load  to  carry." 

Frank  had  been  astonished  a  good  many 
times  that  night,  but  he  was  utterly  amazed, 
now.  Here  was  Archie,  who  was  aching  in 
every  limb,  and  bleeding  profusely  from  the 
wounds  he  had  received  during  his  rapid  ride 
through  the  woods — who,  during  the  last  few 
hours,  had  been  the  hero  of  more  hair-breadth 
escapes  than  had  ever  before  fallen  to  the  lot 
of  a  boy  of  his  age — who  had  but  just  been 


260  DON  CARLOS'  .RANCIIO. 

delivered  from  the  power  of  a  reckless  and  de 
termined  foe — here  he  was  talking  about  the 
speed  of  his  horse,  and  declaring  that  the  race 
the  animal  had  just  run  was  not  a  fair  test  of 
his  abilities! 

"  This  is  a  pretty  time  to  talk  about  such 
things,  isn't  it?"  asked  Frank.  "I  suppose 
you  hoped  that  Roderick  would  be  beaten, 
didn't  you?" 

"I  can't  say  that  I  did,"  replied  Archie,  as 
his  cousin  lifted  him  to  his  feet;  "but  I  could 
not  help  telling  myself  that  if  Pierre  wanted 
to  save  himself,  all  he  had  to  do  was  to  drop 
me  overboard,  and  he  would  leave  you  behind 
so  rapidly  that  you  would  never  boast  of  Rod 
erick's  speed  again." 

(We  may  here  remark  that  the  question  of 
the  relative  merits  of  the  two  horses  remained 
for  a  long  time  undecided ;  but  still  it  was  set 
tled,  at  last,  and  to  the  satisfaction  of  both  the 
boys.  It  was  an  exciting  race,  and  a  long  one ; 
and  the  history  of  it  shall  be  given  in  its 
proper  place.) 

Archie,  in  spite  of  his  wounds  and  bruises, 
was  as  lively  and  plucky  as  ever.  One  desire 


A  HACE  IN  THE  DARK.  261 

was  uppermost  in  his  mind,  now,  and  that  was 
to  effect  the  capture  of  the  robber ;  but  he  need 
not  have  troubled  himself  on  that  score,  for 
Pierre  had  already  been  secured.  When  the 
cousins  reached  the  place  where  he  was  lying, 
they  found  him  motionless  and  helpless,  Mar- 
mion's  powerful  jaws  being  closed  upon  his 
throat.  The  dog  barked  and  whined  furiously 
Then  compelled  to  let  go  his  hold,  and  it  was 
all  his  master  could  do  to  prevent  him  from 
again  attacking  his  enemy. 

"  Santa  Maria ! "  gasped  the  robber,  when 
he  found  himself  free  from  the  teeth  of  the 
dog. 

"That's  what  I  say/'  exclaimed  Archie,  who, 
having  removed  Pierre's  sash  from  his  waist, 
proceeded  to  confine  his  hands  and  feet.  "I 
think  you  are  at  the  end  of  your  rope  now,  my 
hearty.  You  may  make  up  your  mind  to  start 
for  your  old  quarters  at  San  Diego,  to-morrow 
morning,  by  the  early  train.  "What  shall  we 
do  with  him?" 

"  We  '11  leave  him  here  until  we  can  procure 
assistance,  and  come  back  for  him,';  replied 
Frank.  "Now,  let's  start  for  home." 


202 

But  for  one  thing,  Frank  and  Archie  would 
have  been  two  of  the  happiest  boys  that  ever 
existed.  Their  wounds,  their  aching  bones, 
the  dangers  they  had  passed  through,  were  all 
forgotten  in  the  joy  they  felt  at  finding  them 
selves  once  more  in  undisputed  possession  of 
their  long-lost  horses.  They  had  much  to  talk 
about  as  they  rode  toward  the  rancho.  Archie 
told  Frank  what  had  happened  to  him  during 
his  short  captivity,  and  plumed  himself  on 
having  been  in  the  very  midst  of  his  enemies 
for  more  than  seven  hours  (it  was  then  long 
after  midnight),  and  having  made  one  prisoner 
alone  and  unaided,  and  assisted  in  capturing 
two  more  before  he  fell  into  the  hands  of  his 
enemies.  As  for  the  misfortune  that  had  be 
fallen  their  old  friend  Dick  Lewis,  Archie 
declared  that  it  did  not  trouble  him  in  the 
least,  for  he  knew  his  cousin  had  been  mis 
taken;  and  Frank,  ready  to  catch  at  straws, 
said  he  certainly  hoped  it  would  turn  out  so. 

After  a  fifteen  minutes'  ride,  the  boys  once 
more  found  themselves  in  the  rancho,  and  this 
time  with  no  fear  of  being  made  prisoners. 
The  light  was  over,  and  the  settlers  were  in 


A  RACE  IN  THE  DARK.  263 

full  possession  of  the  robbers7  stronghold. 
They  were  in  a  state  of  great  excitement  and 
alarm,  however,  for  they  had  ransacked  the 
building  from  top  to  bottom,  without  discov 
ering  any  signs  of  Frank  and  Archie;  and 
they  were  on  the  point  of  abandoning  the 
search  in  despair,  when  the  boys  appeared. 
The  settlers  crowded  about  them  as  they  rode 
into  the  court,  shook  them  warmly  by  the 
hand,  asked  them  a  multitude  of  questions, 
and  cheered  them  uproariously.  Presently, 
two  tall  fellows,  dressed  in  Mexican  costume, 
and  carrying  long  rifles  in  their  hands,  elbowed 
their  way  through  the  crowd.  One  was  old 
Bob  Kelly — the  cousins  would  have  recognized 
his  long,  white  beard  any  where — but  who  was 
the  other  ?  They  had  seen  those  broad  shoul 
ders  and  that  rifle  before,  but  they  could  not 
tell  who  the  man  was,  for  his  face  was  so 
badly  battered  and  scarred  that  his  own  mother, 
if  she  had  been  there,  would  not  have  known 
him.  He  did  not  offer  to  shake  hands  with 
the  boys,  but  dropped  the  butt  of  his  rifle  to 
the  ground, 'clasped  his  fingers  over  the  muzzle 
of  the  weapon,  and  said : 


264  DON  CARLOS'  RAXCIIO. 

"You  amazin'  keerless  fellers!  1  knowrd 
this  mornin'  that  it  was  my  boundon  duty  to 
give  you  a  good  trouncin'." 

"What  did  I  tell  you?"  screamed  Archie, 
turning  triumphantly  to  his  cousin,  who  opened 
his  mouth  and  eyes,  and  gazed  at  the  man  in 
btupid  bewilderment. 


CONCLUSION.  265 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

CONCLUSION. 

"T  RECKON  you  don't  speak  to  common 
*•  fellers  any  more,"  continued  Dick,  for  it 
was  he,  notwithstanding  that  Frank  had  told 
his  cousin,  in  such  positive  language,  that  he 
had  seen  him  pulled  down  and  strangled  on 
the  prairie.  "  You  need  n't  be  so  tuk  back, 
youngster,  'cause  it's  me,  an'  'taint  nobody 
else." 

During  the  next  few  minutes  the  settlers, 
who  were  standing  around,  gained  some  idea 
of  the  strength  of  the  affection  the  boys  cher 
ished  for  the  trapper.  They  threw  themselves 
from  their  saddles  and  actually  embraced  him; 
and  while  they  remained  at  the  rancho,  they 
kept  close  at  his  side,  clinging  to  his  arms  as 
though  they  were  afraid  some  one  might  try 
to  take  him  away  from  them. 


266      DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

"Why,  Dick,"  said  Frank,  as  soon  as  be 
could  speak,  "I  never  expected  to  see  you 
again." 

"Youngster,"  replied  the  trapper — and,  as 
he  spoke,  he  drew  himself  up  to  his  full  height, 
extended  his  long  arms  above  his  head,  and 
doubled  up  a  pair  of  fists  which  looked  as 
though  they  might  have  knocked  down  an  ox — 
"  we  do  n't  look  fur  nothing  else — me  an'  ole 
Bob  do  n't — but  to  have  our  bar  riz  by  the  In 
juns  some  day;  but  you'll  never  hear  tell  of 
one  of  us  bein'  rubbed  out  by  Greasers — mark 
that.  Now,  I  've  had  more  'n  one  of  them  ar 
lariats  over  my  head,  but  I  never  had  one 
around  my  neck  yet,  an'  I  never  will.  When 
I  fight  Mexikins,  I  allers  look  out  fur  them 
lassos,  an'  when  that  feller  slipped  his'n  over 
my  head,  I  was  ready  fur  him.  I  cut  it  with 
my  knife  quicker 'n  he  could  say  'Gin'ral  Jack 
son,'  with  his  mouth  open.  As  I  riz  to  my 
feet,  I  see  that  the  other  feller  was  purty  clost 
to  me,  an'  I  knocked  him  out  of  his  saddio 
with  my  tomahawk,  as  clean  as  a  whistle. 
Thar  was  n't  but  one  left  then,  an'  he  was  n't 
no  'count,  fur  his  lasso  was  rwincd;  an';  with- 


CONCLUSION.  267 

out  that  we'pon,  a  Mcxikin  aint  a  thing  fur  a 
ten  year  ole  boy  to  be  afeared  of.  He  tuk  to 
his  heels,  an'  so  did  I;  an7  here  I  am." 

To  Archie,  who  had  fully  expected  to  see  the 
trapper  again,  alive  and  well,  this  story  of  his 
escape  seemed  probable  enough ;  but  to  Frank, 
who  had  seen  him,  as  he  believed,  powerless 
in  the  midst  of  his  enemies,  it  seemed  almost 
incredible.  Many  a  time,  during  the  next 
three  or  four  days,  it  was  noticed  that  he 
earnestly  regarded  the  trapper  as  if  he  had  not 
quite  made  up  his  mind  that  he  was  the  gen 
uine  Dick  Lewis  after  all. 

"  I  say,  youngsters,"  said  Bob,  when  the 
trapper  ceased  speaking,  "  I  've  found  out  what 
it  was  that  skeered  me  so  bad,  that  night." 

"An'  he  was  skeered  at  jest  nothing  at  all," 
exclaimed  Dick.  "I  reckon  the  ole  feller  feels 
the  least  bit  ashamed  of  himself.  If  he  don't, 
he  had  oughter." 

The  trappers,  followed  by  the  boys  and  a 
few  of  the  settlers,  led  the  way  to  a  recess  in 
the  wall  opposite  the  gate.  The  only  articles 
in  this  recess  that  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
cousins,  were  a  huge  roll  of  canvas,  and  a  post 


268 

wh  irh  supported  a  locomotive  lamp.  The  face 
of  this  lamp  was  not  turned  toward  the  court, 
but  outward,  toward  the  wall. 

"  I  told  you,  youngsters/'  said  Dick,  "  that 
the  walls  of  this  yere  rancho  are  five  foot  thick; 
and  so  they  be,  in  every  place  except  this. 
Right  thar  is  a  door.  It  can't  be  seed  from 
the  outside,  nor  from  the  inside,  nuther ;  but 
it's  thar." 

Frank  knew  there  was  a  door  somewhere 
about  there,  for  he  had  followed  the  settlers 
through  it ;  but  he  could  not  tell  where  it  was 
now,  for  the  wall  appeared  to  be  as  solid  there 
as  any  where  else.  The  trapper  knew  where  to 
look  for  it,  however,  and  when  he  placed  his 
hands  upon  the  wall,  one  of  the  stones  began 
to  move.  One  end  moved  outward,  and  the 
other  inward,  showing  that  the  stone  worked 
upon  a  pivot  in  the  center.  The  opening  thus 
made  was  about  six  feet  long,  and  a  foot  high. 

"Humph!"  exclaimed  Archie.  "I'd  like 
to  see  a  man  on  horseback  go  through  that 
little  hole." 

"Easy,  easy,"  replied  the  trapper.  "I  haint 
got  done  yet." 


CONCLUSION.  269 

The  door  was  composed  of  at  least  a  half  a 
dozen  stones  (one  above  the  other,  some  longer, 
and  some  shorter,  in  order  to  "break  joints" 
in  the  wall),  and  when  they  had  all  been  moved 
from  their  places,  two  openings  were  formed, 
the  stones  being  in  the  middle  of  the  doorway, 
one  end  pointing  toward  the  creek,  and  the 
other  toward  the  court.  The  space  on  each 
side  was  amply  sufficient  to  admit  of  the  pas 
sage  of  a  horseman. 

"You  know  ole  Bob  said,  that  arter  them 
two  fellers  crossed  the  creek,  they  rid  up  the 
bridge  of  clouds,  an'  went  through  the  wall  of 
the  rancho,"  remarked  Dick.  "Wai,  they 
did  n't,  'cause  they  went  in  at  the  door.  Bob 
swum  the  creek,  an'  hunted  high  an'  low  fur 
the  door,  but  couldn't  find  it;  an'  that's  what 
skeered  him." 

From  the  door,  the  boys  turned  their  atten 
tion  to  the  bundle  of  canvas  before  spoken  of. 
It  was  neatly  rolled  up,  and  in  the  middle 
was  a  stick  of  round  wood,  to  each  end  of 
which  was  fastened  a  small  wheel,  with  a  deep 
groove  in  the  circumference.  In  each  of  these 
grooves  was  a  rope,  about  the  size  of  a  clothes- 


270  DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

line,  which  was  passed  once  around  the  wheel, 
and  the  longer  end  of  which  was  coiled  down 
on  the  ground,  so  that  it  would  run  out  rap 
idly.  The  trappers  pushed  the  canvas  outside 
the  door,  made  the  shorter  ends  of  the  ropes 
fast  to  two  rings  in  the  wall,  which  seemed  to 
have  been  placed  there  for  that  especial  pur 
pose,  then  gave  the  canvas  a  push,  and  it  went 
rolling  down  the  bank  toward  the  creek. 
When  it  reached  the  water's  edge  it  had  all 
run  out,  and  of  course  it  stopped.  The  strong, 
breeze  that  was  blowing  gave  to  it  a  gentle 
undulating  motion,  and  this  it  was  that  the 
old  trapper  had  compared  to  the  "  rolling  and 
tumbling  of  the  smoke  fiom  the  mouth  of  a 
cannon."  This  was  the  bridge  of  clouds ;  and 
what  a  simple  thing  it  was  to  have  frightened 
a  man  like  Bob  so  badly !  The  old  veteran 
evidently  thought  so,  for  h<?  leaned  on  his  rifle 
and  looked  foolish  enough.  When  the  settlers 
had  laughed  at  him  to  their  satisfaction,  he 
and  Dick  seized  the  ropes,  and  hauling  in  hand 
over-hand,  rolled  up  the  canvas  without  going 
outside  the  door. 

"Well!  well!"  exclaimed  Archie.     "Frank 


CONCLUSION.  271 

and  I  watched  this  thing  as  closely  as  ever  two 
cats  watched  a  mouse,  and  we  could  n't  begin 
to  see  through  it.  It's  all  plain  enough  now  ; 
Imt  how  about  the  boat?" 

The  trapper  replied  that  he  would  soon  show 
them  all  about  that ;  and  picking  up  a  lantern, 
led  the  way  into  the  underground  portion  of 
the  rancho.  After  threading  numerous  pas 
sage-ways,  and  turning  several  corners,  he  ush 
ered  them  into  an  apartment  that  might  have 
been  called  the  engine-room,  for  it  contained 
the  power  that  had  propelled  the  flatboat  so 
rapidly.  It  was  not  an  engine,  however,  but 
a  windlass,  something  like  those  used  for  mov 
ing  houses.  It  was  plain  that  it  had  been 
worked  by  horses,  for  there  were  prints  of  hoofs 
all  over  the  floor. 

The  next  thing  was  to  find  the  boat;  and 
that  could  be  easily  done  by  following  the 
rope  which  was  attached  to  the  windlass.  The 
rope  led  them  through  a  long  narrow  passage 
way,  and  when  they  arrived  at  the  end  of  it, 
Dick  opened  a  small  door,  about  the  height  of 
his  head  from  the  floor,  and  the  boys  climbed 
up  and  found  the  boat  before  them.  It  was 


272 


enugly  hidden  in  a  little  cove,  which  had  been 
dug  into  the  bank,  and  walled  up  with  stones 
to  prevent  it  from  caving  in.  The  mouth  of 
the  cove  was  so  effectually  concealed  by  thick 
bushes,  that  a  fleet  might  have  sailed  along 
the  creek  without  discovering  it.  In  the  bow 
of  the  boat  was  a  bundle  of  canvas,  like  the 
one  already  described,  only  it  was  much 
smaller;  and  the  ropes  with  which  it  \va^ 
rolled  up  were  attached  to  a  horizontal  wind 
lass,  so  that  they  could  be  controlled  by  one 
man. 

The  trappers  and  some  of  the  settlers  fol 
lowed  the  boys  into  the  boat,  and  assisted  them 
in  pushing  it  out  of  the  cove.  Frank  got  out 
the  oar,  and  sculled  it  across,  and,  when  it 
reached  the  opposite  shore,  Dick  seized  the 
canvas  and  ran  up  the  bank  with  it,  the  canvas 
unrolling  itself  as  he  went. 

('It's  all  plain  enough  now,"  repeated 
Archie;  "but  it  seems  to  me  that  the  Don 
put  himself  to  a  good  deal  of  trouble  for 
nothing.'7 

"I  think  he  managed  affairs  just  about 
right,"  said  one  of  the  settlers.  "The  object 


CONCLUSION.  273 

of  this  canvas  is  to  conceal  the  trail.  When 
my  horses  were  stolen,  I  followed  them  very 
easily  for  a  while,  but  lost  the  scent  about  a 
hundred  yards  from  the  bank  of  this  creek. 
That  must  have  been  the  place  where  they 
got  on  the  canvas.  Of  course  they  left  no 
more  trail,  and  I  could  n't  follow  them  any 
farther." 

"But  I  don't  see  why  it  is  necessary  to 
have  this  boat  moved  by  a  windlass,"  said 
Frank.  "  If  one  man  could  bring  it  over 
here,  what  's  the  reason  he  could  n't  take  it 
back?" 

"That  can  also  be  easily  explained,"  replied 
the  settler.  "The  current  in  the  creek  is  so 
strong  that  one  man  can't  scull  the  boat 
straight  across.  It  makes  no  difference  where 
he  lands  on  this  side,  because  he  brings  his 
canvas  with  him,  and  can  put  it  out  any  where ; 
but  the  canvas  on  the  other  side  is  stationary, 
you  know,  and  the  boat  must  be  stopped  at 
one  particular  place,  so  that  the  horsemen  can 
get  out  on  it." 

"  Oh,  I  see,"  said  Frank. 

"Thar's  another  thing  that  mebbe  the 
18 


274  DON  CAP, LOS'   RAXCTIO. 

comp'ny  would  like  to  know  something  about/' 
so  id  Dick.  "Arter  we  come  back  from  that 
bar  hunt  this  morning  I  went  out  to  tend  to 
some  cattle,  air'  seed  these  yere  two  keerlcss 
fellers  go  into  Don  Carlos'  ranclio.  I  hung 
round  watchin1  the  house,  'cause  I  kind  o* 
thought  that  mebbe  something  was  agoin'  to 
happen,  an'  that's  the  way  I  come  to  be  in  the 
woods  when  Frank  an'  them  Greasers  had  that 
race.  An'  fellers,"  added  Dick,  turning  to  the 
settlers,  "  I  seed  the  hul  of  that  ar  runnin' 
match,  an'  I  never  in  my  life  seed  a  boy  pick 
up  his  feet  quicker'n  Frank  did.  I'll  match 
him  agin  any  hoss  in  Californy.  I  was  goin' 
to  say,  that  arter  I  got  licked  by  them  Greasers, 
an'  seed  that  Frank  was  ketched  an'  tuk  to  the 

ranclio " 

Frank,  at  this  point,  begged  pardon  for  in 
terrupting  Dick,  and  told  him  that  he  had  not 
thru  been  taken  to  the  rancho,  but  was  carru  d 
to  the  mountains  by  Pierre  Costello.  This  an 
nouncement  created  great  excitement  among 
the  settlers,  and  it  was  increased  wonderfully, 
when  Archie  said  that  they  had  left  Pierre  in 
the  woods,  a  prisoner. 


CONCLUSION.  275 

"Who  tuk  him  prisoner?"  demanded  the 
trapper. 

"Archie  and  I,  and  Marmion,"  replied 
Frank. 

"Fellers!"  exclaimed  Dick,  who  seemed  to 
be  utterly  confounded,  "don't  this  yere  night's 
work  beat  any  thing  you  ever  hearn  tell  on  ? 
If  any  of  you  know  of  two  boys  that  can  lay 
over  them  ar  youngsters  of  mine,  jest  trot  'em 
out;  I'd  like  mighty  well  to  see  'em.  But 
they  haint  been  born  yet,  an'  never  will  be." 

The  trapper  pounded  the  ground  with  the 
butt  of  his  rifle,  gazed  proudly  at  the  boys, 
and  went  on  with  his  explanation. 

"I  seed  that  Frank  was  ketched  agin/'  said 
he,  "an'  knowin'  that  I  couldn't  do  nothing 
more  by  myself,  I  rid  hum  an'  told  ole  Bob 
what  had  been  goin'  on ;  an'  him  an'  Carlos, 
an'  a  few  other  herdsmen  whom  we  knowed 
we  could  trust,  set  out  to  bring  the  settlers 
together,  while  I  come  back  to  watch  the  ran- 
cho.  In  an  hour's  time  we  had  a  hundred  men 
here  in  the  bushes. 

"The  fust  thing  to  be  done  was  to  study  up 
a  plan  to  get  into  the  rancho.  We  knowed 


27G       • 

we  couldn't  whip  the  Greasers  while  they  were 
inside  the  house,  an'  we  outside — we  must  get 
inside  too;  an'  that  could  only  be  done  by 
takin'  them  by  surprise.  While  we  were  talk- 
in'  the  matter  over,  up  come  two  Mcxikins 
b'longin'  to  the  band,  who  had  been  out  some 
where  stealin'  bosses.  They  run  right  among 
us  afore  they  knowed  it,  an'  it  was  the  easiest 
thing  in  the  world  fur  us  to  captur'  'em,  an* 
make  'em  tell  us  all  we  wanted  to  know. 
Arter  a  leetle  talk  it  was  decided  that  me  an' 
ole  Bob  should  take  the  place  of  the  Mexikins, 
an'  go  into  the  rancho ;  an',  that  while  we 
were  goin'  in,  the  settlers  should  swim  the 
creek,  an'  get  ready  to  make  the  attack.  Me 
an'  Bob  were  to  give  'em  time  to  get  clost  up 
under  the  walls,  an'  then  open  the  door,  an* 
the  settlers  would  rush  in  an'  make  pris'ners 
of  the  robbers  afore  they  knowed  it. 

"  Wai,  we  swapped  clothes  with  them  ar  two 
dirty  Greasers — me  an'  ole  Bob  did — mounted 
Roderick  an'  King  Jeemes,  tuk  the  two  stolen 
bosses  by  the  bridle,  crossed  the  creek  on  the 
flatboat,  went  up  that  ar  canvas  thing  that 
Bob  called  the  bridge  of  clouds,  an'  rid  straight 


CONCLUSION.  277 

into  the  ranch o — just  as  though  wfc  had  a  right 
thar — an'  nobody  didn't  suspect  that  we  wasn't 
real  Greasers.  We  seed  a  few  men  arter  we 
got  into  the  house,  but  none  on  'em  had  a 
word  to  say,  or  even  looked  at  us.  The  fellers 
who  hauled  up  the  bridge  shut  the  door  an' 
went  off  about  their  business,  leavin'  me  an' 
Bob  to  'tend  to  our'n ;  which  we  did,  I  reckon. 
We  jumped  off  our  hosses,  an'  opened  the  door 
agin ;  an'  the  settlers  come  pourin'  in.  Every 
thing  worked  jest  as  we  had  planned  it." 

There  was  one  mystery  that  remained  to  be 
explained,  and  that  was  the  signal  made  by 
the  flag.  The  boys  afterward  found  out  all 
about  it  from  one  of  the  prisoners.  The  rob 
bers,  knowing  that  they  were  not  suspected, 
had  become  very  bold;  and  horses  which  had 
been  stolen  at  a  distance,  were  not  unfrequently 
brought  into  the  rancho  in  broad  daylight. 
The  flag  flying  at  the  mast-head,  signified  that 
the  coast  was  clear,  and  that  the  animals  could 
be  safely  brought  in.  When  the  flag  was 
not  to  be  seen,  it  was  understood  that  there 
were  strangers  about ;  and,  in  that  case,  the 
horses  were  concealed  in  the  woods  until  dark, 


278 

when  they  were  brought  in  through  the  secret 
door. 

During  the  next  three  hours  the  boys,  in 
company  with  the  trappers,  explored  every 
nook  and  corner  of  the  rancho.  Archie  first 
led  them  to  the  stable,  to  show  them  his  pris 
oner;  but,  when  they  got  there,  they  found 
that  Beppo  was  gone.  He  had  been  discovered 
and  released  by  some  of  the  band,  and  in  the 
confusion  attending  the  attack,  had  made  good 
his  escape.  From  the  stable  they  went  to  the 
Don's  reception-room ;  and  while  they  were 
examining  the  painting  of  the  Indian  warrior, 
Archie  entertained  them  with  a  glowing  ac 
count  of  his  discovery  of  the  spring,  and  the 
adventures  which  had  resulted  from  it.  After 
that  they  went  to  the  secret  room,  from  which 
they  had  made  their  escape  through  the  scuttle, 
and  spent  an  hour  in  trying  to  find  the  place 
whore  the  Don  had  got  out.  But  their  efforts 
were  unsuccessful ;  and  being  particularly  de 
sirous  to  have  the  mystery  solved,  they  went 
in  search  of  the  chief,  whom  they  found  lying 
in  one  corner  of  the  court  securely  bound.  To 
their  request  that  he  would  explain  the  matter,. 


CONCLUSION.  279 

lie  replied  that  it  was  "one  grand  swindle," 
and  that  was  all  tLey  could  get  out  of  him. 
The  manner  of  his  escape  from  that  room  was 
a  secret  that  never  was  revealed. 

While  the  boys  were  thus  engaged,  the  set 
tlers  and  their  herdsmen  were  busying  them 
selves  in  removing  various  articles  of  value 
from  the  building,  such  as  provisions,  weapons, 
ammunition,  and  I>ales  of  goods;  and  at  day 
light  a  long  string  of  wagons,  and  a  longer 
string  of  mounted  men,  crossed  the  creek,  and 
slowly  wended  their  way  toward  the  settlement. 
Just  as  the  cavalcade  entered  the  woods,  huge 
volumes  of  flames  burst  from  the  doors  and 
windows  of  the  rancho,  and  in  a  few  hours 
nothing  but  blackened  and  crumbling  ruins  re 
mained  to  mark  the  spot  whereon  had  stood 
the  robbers'  stronghold. 

It  was  breakfast  time  when  Frank  and 
Archie  reached  home,  but  they  went  to  bed 
immediately,  and  slept  until  long  after  mid 
night.  When  they  awoke,  they  felt  very  sen 
sibly  the  effects  of  the  rough  treatment  they 
had  received;  and  when  Uncle  James  arrived 
two  days  afterward,  he  found  them  with  their 


280  DON  CARLOS'  RANCHO. 

heads  tied  up,  Frank  with  his  arm  in  a  sling, 
and  Archie  hobbling  around  with  a  cane.  But 
then  they  had  covered  themselves  with  glory. 
They  had  shot  Old  Davy,  and  assisted  in 
breaking  up  the  robber  band,  and  no  general 
ever  felt  prouder  of  his  victories  than  the  boys 
did  over  these  exploits.  The  story  of  their 
adventures  is,  however,  not  yet  complete.  Ac 
cording  to  arrangement,  they  accompanied  Cap 
tain  Porter  on  his  trading  expedition ;  and 
what  they  saw,  and  what  they  did  while  they 
were  gone,  shall  be  told  in  "FRANK  IN  THE 
MOUNTAINS." 


THE   END. 


Famous  itastlemon  Boohs. 


No  author  of  the  present  day  has  become  a  greater  favorite 
with  boys  than  "Harry  Castlemon,"  eveiy  book  by  him  is  sure 
to  meet  with  hearty  reception  by  young  readers  generally.  His 
naturalness  and  vivacity  leads  his  readers  from  page  to  page 
with  breathless  interest,  and  when  one  volume  is  finished  the 
fascinated  reader,  like  Oliver  Twist,  asks  "  for  more." 


By  Harry  iCastlemon. 


GUNBOAT  SERIES.      By  Harry  Castlemon.     In 
box  containing  the  following.    6  vols.     i6mo.    Cloth, 

extra,  black  and  gold $7  50 

(Sold  separately.) 

Frank  the  Young  Naturalist.    Illustrated.    i6mo.  i  25 

Frank  in  the  "Woods.     Illustrated.     i6mo I  25 

Frank  on  the  Prairie.     Illustrated.     i6mo I  25 

Frank  on  a  Gunboat.     Illustrated.     i6mo i  25 

Frank  before  Vicksburg.     Illustrated.     i6mo.  .    .  i  25 

Frank  on  the  Lower  Mississippi.     Illustrated. 

i6mo I   25 

GO  AHEAD  SERIES.     By  Harry  Castlemon.     In 
box  containing  the  following.    3  vols.     i6mo.    Cloth, 

extra,  black  and  gold 375 

(Sold  separately.) 


2  PORTER   i   COATEo'S   POPULAR    JUV1.XILES. 

Go  Ahead  ;  or,  The  Fisher  Boy's  Motto.     Illustrated. 

i6mo £i  25 

No  Moss  ;  or,  The  Career  of  a  Rolling  Stone.  Illus 
trated.  i6mo I  25 

Tom  Newcombe ;    or,   The   Boy  of    Bad   Habits. 

Illustrated.      l6ino I   25 

ROCKY  MOUNTAIN  SERIES.  By  Harry 
Castlemon.  In  box  containing  the  following.  3  v°ls. 

l6mo.     Cloth,  extra,  black  and  gold 3  75 

(Sold  separately.) 

Frank  at  Don  Carlos'  Rancho.  Illustrated.  i6mo.  I  25 
Frank  among  the  Rancheros.  Illustrated.  161110.  I  25 
Frank  in  the  Mountains.  Illustrated.  i6mo  .  .  i  25 

SPORTSMAN'S  CLUB  SERIES.  By  Harry 
Castlemon.  In  box  containing  the  following.  3  vols. 

l6mo.     Cloth,  extra,  black  and  gold 3  75 

(Sold  separately.) 

The  Sportsman's  Club  in  the  Saddle.  Illus 
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The  Sportsman's  Club  Afloat.  Being  the  2d  vol 
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i6mo.  Cloth,  extra,  black  and  gold I  25 

The  Sportsman's  Club  among  the  Trappers. 
Being  the  3d  volume  of  the  "Sportsman's  Club 
Series."  Illustrated.  l6mo.  Cloth,  extra,  black  and 
gold I  25 

FRANK  NELSON  SERIES.  By  Harry  Castle 
mon.  In  box  containing  the  following.  3 Vols.  l6mo. 

Cloth,  extra,  black  and  gold 375 

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Snowed   up ;    or,   The    Sportsman's    Club   in    the 

Mountains.     Illustrated.      i6mo I   25 

Frank  Nelson  in  the  Forecastle ;  or,  the  S; 

man's  Club  among  the  \Yhalcr>.      Illustrated.      lomo.       I    25 

The  Boy  Traders ;  or.  The  Sportsman's  Club  among 

the  Boers.      Illustrated.      l6mo l    2S 


PORTER  &  COATES'S  POPULAR  JUVENILES.         3 

BOY  TRAPPER  SERIES.  By  Harry  Castle- 
mon.  In  box  containing  the  following.  3  vols.  161110. 
Cloth,  extra,  black  and  gold  .  .  . $3  75 

(Sold  separately.) 

The  Buried  Treasure  ;  or,  Old  Jordan's  "  Haunt." 
Being  the  1st  volume  of  the  "Boy  Trapper  Series." 
Illustrated.  i6mo I  25 

The  Boy  Trapper ;  or,  How  Dave  filled  the  Order. 
Being  the  2d  volume  of  the  "Boy  Trapper  Series." 
Illustrated.  i6mo I  25 

The  Mail  Carrier.  Being  the  3d  and  concluding  vol 
ume  of  the  "  Boy  Trapper  Series."  Illustrated.  i6mo.  i  25 

ROUGHING  IT  SERIES.  By  Harry  Castlemon. 
In  box  containing  the'  following.  3  vok.  Cloth, 
extra,  black  and  gold 3  75 

(Sold  separately.) 

George  in  Camp  ;  or,  Life  on  the  Plains.  Being  the 
1st  volume  of  the  "  Roughing  It  Series."  Illustrated. 
i6mo I  25 

George  at  the  "Wheel;  or,  Life  in  a  Pilot  House. 
Being  the  2d  volume  of  the  '•  Roughing  It  Series." 
Illustrated.  i6mo I  25 

George  at  the  Fort ;  or,  Life  Among  the  Soldiers. 
Being  the  3d  and  concluding  volume  of  the  "  Rough 
ing  It  Series."  Illustrated.  i6mo I  25 

ROD  AND  GUN  SERIES.  By  Harry  Castlemon. 
In  box  containing  the  following.  3  vols.  Cloth, 
extra,  black  and  gold 3  75 

(Sold  separately). 

Don  Gordon's  Shooting  Box.  Being  the  1st  vol 
ume  of  the  "  Rod  and  Gun  Series."  Illustrated. 
161110 I  25 

Rod  and  Gun.      Being   the  second   \olume  of  the 

"  Rod  and  Gun  Series."     Illustrated.     i6mo.     ...       I   25 

The  Young  Wild -Fowlers.  Being  the  third  vol 
ume  of  the  "  Rod  and  Gun  Series."  Illustrated.  i6mo.  I  25 


Atget's  Renoumeb  Boohs. 


Horatio  Alger,  Jr.,  has  attained  distinction  as  one  of  the  most 
popular  writers  of  books  for  boys,  and  the  following  list  com 
prises  all  of  his  best  books. 


By  Horatio  Alger,  3r. 


RAGGED  DICK   SERIES.     By  Horatio  Alger, 
Jr.,  in  box  containing  the  following.      6  vols.      i6mo. 

Cloth,  extra,  black  and  gold $7  50 

(Sold  separately.) 

Ragged  Dick;  or,  Street  Life  in  New  York.     Illus 
trated.     i6mo I   25 

Fame  and  Fortune;  or,  The  Progress  of  Richard 

Hunter.     Illustrated.     l6mo I   25 

Mark  the  Match  Boy;  or,  Richard  Hunter's  Ward. 

Illustrated.      i6mo I   25 

Rough  and  Ready;  or,  Life  among  the  New  York 

Xe\v>l>»ys.     Illustrated.     i6mo I   25 

Ben  the  Luggage  Boy;  or,  Among  the  Wharves. 

Illustrated.       iGmo ' I   25 

Rufua  and  Rose ;  or,  The  Fortunes  of  Rough  and 

Ready.     Illustrated.     i6mo I   25 

TATTERED  TOM  SERIES.     (FIRST  SERIES.) 
]>y  I  loratio  Alger,  Jr.,  in  box  containing  the  following. 
4  vols.     iGino.     Cloth,  extra,  black  and  gold      ...       5  oo 
(Sold  separately.) 

Tattered  Tom;  or,  The  Story  of  a  Street  Arab.     Il 
lustrated.      i6mo i   25 

Paul  the  Peddler;  or,  The  Adventures  of  a  Young 

Street  Merchant.       Illustrated.       i6mo I    25 

Phil  the  Fiddler;  or,  The  Young  Street   Musician. 

Illustrated.       i6mo I   25 

4 


PORTER  &  COATES'S  POPULAR  JUVENILES.          5 

Slow  and  Sure ;  or,  From  the  Sidewalk  to  the  Shop. 

Illustrated.       iCmo $1   25 

TATTERED  TOM  SERIES.     (SECOND  SERIES.) 
In  box  containing  the    following.       4   vols.       Cloth, 

extra,  black  and  gold 5  °° 

(Sold  separately.) 

Julius;  or,  The  Street  Boy  Out  West.     Illust'd.    i6mo.     I   25 

The  Young  Outlaw ;  or,  Adrift  in  the  World.     Il 
lustrated.     i6mo i   25 

Sam's  Chance  and  How  He  Improved  it.     Il 
lustrated.      i6mo i   25 

The  Telegraph  Boy.     Illustrated.      i6mo i  25 

LUCK  AND  PLUCK  SERIES.    (FIRST  SERIES.) 
By  Horatio  Alger,  Jr.,  in  box  containing  the  following. 

4  vols.     l6rno.     Cloth,  extra,  black  and  gold 5  °° 

(Sold  separately.) 

Luck  and  Pluck ;    or,  John  Oakley's   Inheritance. 

Illustrated.       l6mo „ I   25 

Sink  or  Swim ;  or,  Harry  Raymond's  Resolve.     Il 
lustrated.       i6mo I  25 

Strong  and  Steady;  or,  Paddle  Your  Own  Canoe. 

Illustrated.     i6mo I   25 

Strive  and  Succeed;  or,  The  Progress  of  Walter 

Conrad.     Illustrated.     i6mo I  25 

LUCK    AND    PLUCK     SERIES.       (SECOND 
SERIES.)     In  box  containing  the  following.     4  vols. 

l6mo.     Cloth,  extra,  black  and  gold 5  oo 

(Sold  separately.) 

Try  and  Trust ;  or,  The  Story  of  a  Bound  Boy.     Il 
lustrated.       i6mo i  25 

Bound  to  Rise ;  or,  How  Harry  Walton  Rose  in  the 

World.     Illustrated.       i6mo I  25 

Risen  from  the  Ranks ;  or,  Harry  Walton's  Success. 

Illustrated.       i6mo I   25 

Herbert  Carter's  Legacy;  or,  The  Inventor's  Son. 

Illustrated.     i6mo I   25 


D  PORTER    4    COATKS  S    I'uiri.AR    jrVKMI.FS. 

BRAVE   AND    BOLD    SERIES.      By    Horatio 
Al^er,   jr.,  in  box  containing  the  Following.     4  v-  Is. 

Kmio.     Cloth,  extra,  black  and  gold $5  OO 

(Sold  separately.) 

Brave  and  Bold;  or,  The  Story  of  a  Factory  Boy. 

Illustrated.      161110 I   25 

Jack's  Ward;    or,    The  Boy  Guardian.     Illustrated. 

I<>ino I    25 

Shifting  for  Himself;  or,  Gilbert  Greyson's  Fortunes. 

Illustrated.       161110 I   25 

Wait  and  Hope ;  or,  Ben  Bradford's  Motto.     Illus 
trated.      i6mo I   25 

CAMPAIGN  SERIES.     By  Horatio  Alger,  Jr.,  in 
box  containing  the  following.    3  vols.      l6mo.    Cloth, 

extra,  black  and  gold 3  75 

(Sold  separately.) 

Frank's  Campaign;    or,  the   Farm  and  the  Camp. 

Illustrated.      i6mo I   25 

Paul  Prescott's  Charge.     Illustrated.     i6mo.     .    .       I   25 
Charlie  Codman's  Cruise.     Illustrated.      i6mo .    .       i   25 

PACIFIC  SERIES.    By  Horatio  Alger,  Jr.    4  vols. 

i  onio.     Cloth,  extra,  black  and  gold 5  oo 

(Sold  separately.) 

The  Young  Adventurer;  or,  Tom's  Trip  Across 

the  Plains.     Illustrated.     161110 I    25 

The  Young  Miner;  or,  Tom  Nelson  in  California. 

Illustrated.       161110 I   25 

The  Young  Explorer;  or,  Among  the  Sierras.     Il 
lustrated.     161110 I   25 

Ben's  Nugget ;  or,  A  Boy's  Search  for  Fortune.     A 

Story  of  the  Pacific  Coast.     Illustrated.     161110.  .    .    .       !   25 


The   Young    Circus   Rider;    or,  The  Mystery   of 

Robert  Kudd.  Being  the  1st  volume  of  the  "Atlantic 
Series."  Illustrated.  i6mo.  Cloth,  extra,  black 
and  gold I  25 


PORTER    &    COATES'S    POPULAR    JUVEN7ILES.  J 

Do  and  Dare ;  or,  A  Brave  Boy's  Fight  for  Fortune. 

Being  the  2(1  volume  of  the  "Atlantic  Series."     Illus 
trated.     i6mo.     Cloth,  extra,  black  and  gold  ....    ^i   25 

Hector's  Inheritance  ;  or,  Boys  of  Smith  Institute. 
Being  the  jd  volume  of  the  "Atlantic  Series."  Illus 
trated.  l6mo.  Cloth,  extra,  black  and  gold  ....  I  25 


By  i£,  A.  Stephens, 


Rare  books  for  boys — bright,  breezy,  wholesome  and  instruc 
tive — full  of  adventure  and  incident,  and  information  upon 
natural  history — they  blend  instruction  with  amusement — contain 
much  useful  and  valuable  information  upon  the  habits  of  animals, 
and  plenty  of  adventure,  fun  and  jollity. 

CAMPING  OUT  SERIES.  By  C.  A.  Stephens. 
In  box  containing  the  following.  6  vols.  i6mo. 

Cloth,  extra,  black  and  gold $^  5° 

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Camping  Out.      As  recorded  by  "Kit."     With  eight 

full-page  illustrations.     161110 I   25 

Left  on  Labrador;  or,  The  Cruise  of  the  Schooner 
Yacht  " Curlew "  As  recorded  by  "Wash."  With 
eight  full-page  illustrations.  i6mo I  25 

Off  to  the  Geysers ;  or,  The  Young  Yachters  in 
Iceland.  As  recorded  by  "  Wade."  With  eight  full- 
page  illustrations.  i6mo I  25 

Lynx  Hunting.  From  Notes  by  the  Author  of 
"  Camping  Out."  With  eight  full-page  illustrations. 
161110 ..:....  I  25 

Fox  Hunting.    As  recorded  by  "  Raecl."    With  eight 

full -page  illustrations.      161110 I   25 

On  the  Amazon  ;  or.  the  Cruise  of  the  "  Rambler." 
As  recorded  by  "Wash."  With  eight  full-page  illus 
trations.  i6mo I  25 


PORTER   &   COATES'-S    POPULAR   JUVENILES. 

By  ].  I.  ITrouubribge. 


These  stories  will  rank  among  the  best  of  Mr.  Trowbridge's 
books  for  the  young,  and  he  has  written  some  of  the  best  of  our 
juvenile  literature. 

JACK  HAZARD  SERIES.  By  J.  T.  Trowbridge. 
In  box  containing  the  following.  6  vols.  i6mo. 

Cloth,  extra,  black  and  gold ^75o 

(Sold  separately.) 

Jack  Hazard  and  his  Fortunes.      With  twenty 

illustrations.      i6mo I   25 

A  Chance  for  Himself;    or, Jack  Hazard  and  his 

Treasure.     With  nineteen  illustrations.      i6mo.  ...       I    25 

Doing  his  Best.     With  twenty  illustrations.     i6mo.        I   25 

Fast  Friends.     With  seventeen  illustrations.       i6mo.       I   25 

The  Young  Surveyor;    or,  Jack  on  the  Prairies. 

With  twenty-one  illustrations.       i6mo I   25 

Lawrence's  Adventures  Among  the  Ice  Cut 
ters,  Glass  Makers,  Coal  Miners,  Iron  Men  and  Ship 
Guilders.  With  twenty-four  illustrations.  i6mo.  .  .  I  25 


By  £6ujar6  8.  Ellis. 


A  New  Series  of  Books  for  Boys,  equal  in  interest  to  the  "  Cas- 
tlemon"  and  "Alger"  books.  His  power  of  description  of 
Indian  life  and  character  is  equal  to  the  best  of  Cooper. 

BOY  PIONEER  SERIES.     By  Edward  S.  Ellis. 

In  box  containing  the  following.     3  vols.    Illustrated. 

Cloth,  extra,  black  and  gold $37$ 

(Sold  separately.) 
Ned  in  the  Block  House;  or,  Life  on  the  Frontier. 

la-ing  the  1st  volume  of  the  "Boy  Pioneer  Scries." 

Illustrated.      i6mo I   25 

Ned  in  the  "Woods.     Being  the  2d  volume  of  the 

••  Hoy  1'imit.vr  Scries."     Illustrated.     l6mo I   25 

Ned  on   the  River.     Being  the  3d  volume  of  the 

" Boy  Pioneer  Series."     Illustrated.     i6mo i  25 


cFosdick,   C 


M138275 


F74S 
tact 


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